Overseas companies hail expanded opening-up

Editor's note: The pandemic has posed challenges to many aspects of social development and people's lives. In a series of reports titled "Fighting the Pandemic: 2020 in Review", we look at achievements made in different fields. This is the fourth part of the series.

Enterprises benefit from nation's far-reaching move

One of the most important decisions made by French software company Dassault Systemes last year was to relocate its Asia-Pacific headquarters to Shanghai.

The company said strong performance in China justified moving its regional base to the municipality from Japan.

The Chinese market accounted for many of Dassault Systemes' larger transactions in Asia last year, spanning the transportation, mobility, high-tech, aerospace, marine and offshore sectors.

The company was given access to China to help with construction of Leishenshan Hospital－the emergency facility built in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, to respond to COVID-19 in the city.

This access was part of a series of deals the company signed with its Chinese partners, giving full play to its strengths in 3D design and engineering software.

Bernard Charles, CEO of Dassault Systemes, said, "The Chinese government has continued to demonstrate its commitment to further opening-up, which not only promotes the rapid development, transformation and upgrading of China's economy, but also boosts the development potential and offers policy dividends for us."

Buoyed by its strong performance in China and expanded opening-up measures, the company is looking to triple the number of its employees in the country to about 2,000 in the next five to 10 years.

"The determination of the Chinese government to expand opening-up will encourage quality-oriented investment on a larger scale, forming a virtuous cycle of development and driving continued growth. These prospects are greatly appealing to our company," Charles said.

He added that he had been especially encouraged by the commitments made by President Xi Jinping in recent months that China would remain committed to further opening-up and would seek greater synergy through interplay of its domestic and world economies.