Innovating locally for global scale

Q3 China's innovation ecosystem has become an increasingly important engine of growth. How do you assess the contribution of artificial intelligence and other frontier technologies to China's productivity growth, industrial upgrading and long-term economic resilience? More broadly, what significance does China's innovation have for global technological progress and the opportunities available to multinational companies?

ZHU: China is a key player in the global innovation economy and one of the world's leading innovation markets. Rising total factor productivity, the proliferation of applications across industries and functions, and the integration of advanced technologies with user demand in key sectors will help the country deliver broad-based growth. AI, in particular, is at the center of business investment this year, as enterprises mobilize to deploy the technology to create value, respond to change and build resilience. Our research shows that AI adoption is advancing quickly, with 88 percent of Chinese enterprises having moved beyond the pilot stage. These enterprises have also made significant progress in using AI to transform customer experience, digital twins, research and development and data governance.

CHEN: China's innovation ecosystem is becoming a real engine for productivity and industrial upgrading. AI and other frontier technologies are now being applied at scale across manufacturing and R&D. They help companies improve efficiency, strengthen quality control, shorten development cycles, and make operations safer and more reliable. Over time, this also supports long-term economic resilience because it helps firms move up the value chain. At Syensqo, we see AI as a partner for our people. We launched Syensqo.ai early after the establishment of the company, and AI plays an important part of the company's strategic plans. At our China Research & Innovation Center in Shanghai, AI is helping teams with analysis, testing and product solution optimization. It is not a replacement for researchers, but a tool that helps them solve more complex problems and identify new ideas faster.

MA: China's innovation ecosystem is playing an increasingly important role in driving productivity, industrial upgrading and long-term economic resilience. The rapid advancement of AI and digital technologies, combined with strong adoption across industries, is helping companies innovate faster, operate more efficiently and better serve consumers. Beyond its domestic impact, China's innovation ecosystem is also contributing to global technological progress. Its unique combination of innovation capabilities, advanced manufacturing capabilities, digital infrastructure and market scale creates valuable opportunities for multinational companies to develop, test and scale new solutions.

JIANG: AI is one of the most important technology shifts of our time, but its real impact comes when it moves beyond a technological breakthrough and becomes part of everyday life. China is one of the world's fastest-moving innovation ecosystems in making that happen. Across work, learning, entertainment, gaming and content creation, we are seeing AI being adopted at remarkable speed, creating new opportunities for both businesses and consumers. We are already embedding AI across our portfolio to create more intuitive and productive user experiences — from AI-powered video collaboration that enhances meeting quality and supports meeting equity, to software-enabled mice and keyboards that help users work more efficiently. In hybrid meetings, AI can help participants be seen and heard more clearly, whether they are joining from a meeting room or remotely. In China, we are also adapting our software experiences to local AI platforms, ensuring our products fit naturally into the way Chinese users work and create.