China’s emphasis on the digital economy and green transition has opened up opportunities for foreign companies. Xiao Song, chairman, president and CEO of Siemens China, said in a recent interview with China News Service that more applications and solutions for the needs of the Chinese market will be launched in the future to help small and medium-sized enterprises transform.

According to this year’s government Work report, China will vigorously develop the digital economy, accelerate the digital transformation of traditional industries and small and medium-sized enterprises, and strive to improve the level of high-end, intelligent and green. The report also proposes to promote the clean and efficient use of energy and technology research and development, accelerate the construction of a new energy system, and increase the proportion of renewable energy.

Xiao Song believes that in 2023, digitalization and decarbonization will continue to be the two-wheel drive for China’s economy to move forward steadily. From traditional manufacturing to infrastructure, and even the broader industry field, digital empowerment will accelerate the transformation and upgrading of many industries, and release new vitality of economic development; Low-carbon transformation is a historic window for enterprises to take the initiative to break through and create. These are also the focus of Siemens’ business in China. In line with China’s future development direction, it means that more market opportunities and space can be obtained.

This is also the consensus of most foreign companies. According to a recent survey by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, new-type industrialization and green and low-carbon industries rank first and second, respectively, among foreign companies’ priorities for investment in China.

At a time when the world economy is in the doldrums, China presents new opportunities for many foreign companies, including Siemens. Xiao Song said that on the one hand, since the beginning of this year, the Chinese government has introduced a

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number of measures to expand consumption and increase investment, which has released positive signals to promote the full recovery of the economy, and market confidence and expectations have been significantly enhanced.

On the other hand, the optimization of epidemic prevention and control policies has made China more smoothly connected with the world and more closely communicated with the international market. As Chinese enterprises enter the development window period, foreign companies in China can also obtain new cooperation space.

In Xiao Song’s view, under the combined force of policy guidance, market drive and technology empowerment, China’s economy has stabilized and rebounded, “We are full of expectations for the prospects of the Chinese market.”

Siemens is committed to enabling high-quality development of the Chinese economy through technology. In June 2022, Siemens officially put into operation the world’s first native digital factory in Nanjing, which is Siemens’ largest research and development and manufacturing center in the field of motion control outside Germany. In November of the same year, Siemens Xcelerator, an open digital business platform, was launched in China to help Chinese enterprises of different sizes in industries, buildings, power grids and transportation realize digital transformation.

In the near future, Siemens will also launch an online version of its carbon footprint trusted actuarial and traceability solution, SiGREEN, which is aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises to improve the carbon footprint transparency of their core production processes and supply chains.

Xiao Song said that now more and more Chinese enterprises are striving to become world-class enterprises, which makes Siemens realize that only by further strengthening local innovation and getting closer to local needs can it keep pace with “China speed”. This is why Siemens continues to conduct local research and development in the Chinese market.

He revealed that since the landing of Siemens Xcelerator in China, the number of users has maintained steady growth, and has obtained the first partners such as Jingdong Technology. At present, the platform has also launched a number of applications and solutions developed for the needs of the Chinese market, and has received thousands of customer project inquiries, and existing projects have realized transactions.

Xiao Song said it is not easy for Chinese smes to achieve digital transformation quickly. Barriers such as high investment barriers and complex processes often discourage smes. In the future, Siemens Xcelerator will continue to launch cloud versions of several products and solutions to help smes quickly understand their digital transformation status and make this transformation process more flexible and efficient.