Nation's innovation strength, speed hailed

Maria Zhang, general manager of Mubea China, said the company's China operations have moved well beyond assembly and sales over the past five years, with its plant in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, now co-developing new machine configurations for global markets.

For the German machine tool manufacturer, China has become its "largest laboratory for advanced manufacturing solutions", reflecting the country's growing role as a source of intensive, fast-paced innovation at scale, she said.

Mubea is not alone in stepping up its China presence. United States-based company 3M has also seen China become its largest overseas market, said Henry Ding, president of 3M China, in a video address.

In recent years, 3M has accelerated the localization of its full value chain in China, spanning research and development, testing and manufacturing.

"This year, 3M China will continue to increase its local R&D investment and plans to achieve more than 30 percent growth in new product launches compared with 2025, significantly outpacing other global markets," he added.

Buoyed by confidence shared widely among global businesses, Xi'an, the host city of the roundtable, is moving quickly to capture opportunities created by China's push to develop new quality productive forces, drawing on its strengths in technological research, advanced manufacturing and Eurasian connectivity.

The city's role as an inland innovation hub is particularly visible in aviation, one of its pillar industries and a key area linking advanced manufacturing with international cooperation.

George Xu, executive vice-president of Airbus and chief executive officer of Airbus China, said in a video address that Xi'an is a strategic center for China's aviation industry.

He said cooperation between Airbus and Shaanxi province has deep roots, noting that the wings of every A320 family aircraft delivered in China are supplied by the Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, or AVIC.

"AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group has become one of Airbus' largest suppliers in China," Xu added.