Suzano to scale up investments in nation

Amid a turbulent and rapidly changing global environment, China has emerged as a crucial "source of stability" for multinational corporations, prompting Brazilian pulp and paper giant Suzano to continuously increase investments in the country, a senior company executive said.

Pablo Machado, Suzano's global vice-president for strategy and Asia business, noted that China's advanced manufacturing capabilities and digital advantages provide an excellent ecosystem for deepening integration with local partners across supply chains, technology and finance.

"Today, China is not only an important market for Suzano, but an integral part of our global operations and future growth," Machado said. "In this process, Suzano has successfully shifted its approach from simply 'selling into China' to 'building together with China'."

Driven by the unprecedented opportunities arising from China's pivot to high-quality economic development, Suzano intends to scale up its local investments. The company will harness China's "massive consumer upgrade wave" to actively back the nation's ambitious green transition, Machado added.

This anticipated surge in local investment — spanning research and development, logistics networks, and domestic value chains — aims to deliver premium, highly sophisticated products to Chinese customers across the packaging, hygiene, textile and cosmetics sectors, he said.

This robust foreign investment appetite is bolstered by the nation's steady economic fundamentals and comprehensive industrial ecosystem.

According to Wang Jun, vice-minister of the General Administration of Customs, multinational corporations remain pivotal in advancing new quality productive forces, maintaining a robust trade outlook within the Chinese market.

Supported by predictable policies and a highly open business landscape, these enterprises are increasingly empowered to broaden their network of commercial partners and unlock new market segments, said Wang.

Echoing the importance of a comprehensive industrial ecosystem, Machado emphasized that modern manufacturing is no longer limited to physical production; it has evolved into a fully integrated system enabled by continuous services such as data analytics, advanced monitoring and intelligent management.

By incorporating Chinese equipment and technologies into its global operations, Suzano is also well-positioned to support Chinese enterprises expanding into Latin America, said Machado.

Financially, Suzano continues to actively participate in the opening of the nation's market. It made history as the first non-financial company from the Americas to issue Panda Bonds, establishing a direct link between Chinese capital and sustainable forestry initiatives.

Tapping into China's capital market remains a central pillar of Suzano's long-term financial strategy. This approach not only secures competitive and diversified funding for the company, but also reinforces the crucial economic ties between Brazil and China, said Machado.

Bai Ming, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, noted that while more than four decades of reform and opening-up have highly liberalized China's manufacturing and related industries, the services sector continues to hold immense untapped potential.

As the country pushes to stimulate service-oriented consumption, global firms will find fresh opportunities to expand their footprint in fields like healthcare, logistics, travel, certification and digital services, Bai said.

Looking ahead, Suzano anticipates the Chinese market will unlock even greater technological synergies that can be scaled across global emerging markets.

"We believe China will play an even more important role," Machado said. "While further developing itself, it will become a global source of innovation, an industrial hub and a platform for capital convergence."

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn