As markets shift and technologies accelerate, businesses must not only adapt but reimagine what comes next. For multinational partners, China is no longer only a downstream market but an upstream accelerator for competitive innovation.
The winter issue of DE Perspectives, “Reimagine the Horizon,” examines opportunities shaping the next phase of Sino‑German business—sustainable growth, breakthrough technologies and deeper market integration.
The Bayer feature shows how China has moved from manufacturing base to R&D launchpad. Bayer’s “in China, for global” approach, from the E‑Town Open Innovation Center to Co.Lab Beijing, blends local agility with global translational expertise. ZHOU Xiaolan, President of Bayer China, notes: “Today, China innovations compete for best‑in‑class by leveraging world‑leading engineering capabilities, and for first‑in‑class by leveraging the unparalleled cost‑effectiveness and speed of its research and clinical development engine.”
Dr. Torsten Derr, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of SCHOTT AG, noted that China is one of the two strategic focus markets in the group’s global strategy and plays an important role in shaping future growth, he explained SCHOTT’s globally coordinated, locally empowered approach in China, and how investment in R&D and production in Suzhou, localized pharmaceutical tubing capacity and sustainability pilots combine to meet both market needs and decarbonization imperatives.
China has become a fast‑moving, highly competitive ecosystem. Gregor Koch, General Manager of Landesbank Baden‑Württemberg (LBBW) Shanghai Branch, stresses that success requires closer customer proximity, stronger R&D ties and faster decision‑making: adaptation rather than retreat, and as he puts it: “The biggest risk is not being in China—and losing competitiveness outside of China.”
AHK Greater China is committed to strengthening the bilateral industry and trade cooperation between Germany and China and has set up practical formats for turning exploratory interest into targeted, actionable connections. The Xplore China delegation series offers pragmatic first steps from exploration to investment and reinvestment and sustained Sino‑German cooperation.
The social media is also reshaping platform designs to elevate user content, engagement and growth. Social media app Xiaohongshu illustrates how everyday, user‑driven content—steered toward ordinary users (KOCs)—creates real‑world impact. DENG Chao, CPO, frames the product ethos as respecting ordinary life and enabling resonance and empathy rather than flashy form.