What business leaders are watching at CIIE: Part I

What are the highlights of your exhibits at the China International Import Expo? Are you launching any new products, technologies or solutions?

We are pleased to be one of the first companies to sponsor and participate in the CIIE, where people will see our latest innovations, including materials that enable smarter homes and more efficient cars, better ways of connecting in the digital world, supporting active and healthy lifestyles, better protection for workers and solutions that support a circular economy.

Our booth is in the High-end Intelligent Equipment area. We will create live "experiences" for visitors on how DuPont's innovative technologies and products touch many aspects of people's lives throughout the day.

In terms of deals, what do you expect from the CIIE? Whom are you targeting?

We are at the expo to engage with customers, partners and other stakeholders regarding opportunities for new innovations and our future as the new DuPont – a company that will be a premier innovation-driven company with a focus on highly specialized products and solutions that transform industries and everyday life.

We look forward to collaborating with local partners, especially those with development potential, that are technology-oriented and are focusing on new product development.

Do you think the CIIE could eventually help drive the development or upgrade of the industry your company is in, and your company's strategy in China?

We believe the expo will be positive for promoting partnerships and encouraging global growth. It provides enterprises with a platform to present themselves to China and the world, and is expected to accelerate the continuous investment and development of foreign enterprises in the Chinese market. DuPont will continue to bring more innovative technologies and products to better serve the infrastructure of Chinese society and enrich people's living standards.

What's your view on China's pledge to further open up its markets to foreign companies? How would that benefit your business? Any specific examples?

China's reform and opening have provided a good business environment for us. We have successfully established over 40 wholly owned companies and joint ventures here, hiring more than 3,400 people.

In 2005, we opened the DuPont China R&D Center, which we expanded in 2013. To better understand local customers' needs and challenges, we opened our DuPont Innovation Center in Shanghai in 2014. To meet our customers' growing demands, in 2017 we announced a production capacity increase at our Shenzhen facility for DuPont Transportation & Advanced Polymers. We expect it to go into full production by the end of 2019. And we also are increasing the production capacity of our health and nutrition facility in northern China.

What is your forecast for China's economy in the next three years? What key issues will you be watching for?

China has always been an important and fast-growing market, and is an important part of our global strategy.

The Chinese government has recently re-emphasized orderly relaxing of market access, the improving of relevant laws on foreign capital and strengthening the protection of intellectual property.

The various initiatives in reform, opening up, and economic development are the hallmarks of China's growing economy and the foundation for building sustainable international business cooperation. By continuously upgrading and facilitating the foreign investment policy, we believe China will continue to be a popular destination for foreign-invested enterprises.