Choice of Hangzhou showcases China's drive for innovation: SAP China President

Mark Gibbs, president of SAP Greater China, made a speech in Beijing in August, 2016.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The president of German software company SAP SE's China branch said the ongoing G20 Summit, held in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, highlights China's commitments to advance high-end manufacturing with cutting-edge technologies.

Mark Gibbs, president of SAP Greater China, said, "I believe Hangzhou wasn't chosen (as the host city) just because of its natural beauty - it's also symbolic to mark China's successful transition from a low-cost manufacturer to a high-tech economy."

According to him, this transition is only made possible through innovation, which is one of the key topics in the G20 Summit.

"Innovation is the key driver of the world's sustainable economic growth. Technology advancement creates emerging industries, new products and new business models. I am looking forward to new ideas to drive the digital economy coming out of G20," he added.

"China is putting more focus on quality and sustainable growth driven by industrial upgrade and structural transformation, all powered by innovation. We believe this direction will make significantly positive impact to both economic and social development for China," Gibbs said.

Mark Gibbs, president of SAP Greater China, made a speech in Beijing in August, 2016.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The company, headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, is seeing big opportunities from government initiatives, such as "Internet Plus" and "Made in China 2025", which are designed to promote the use of the internet and big data technologies in manufacturing and other traditional industries. Currently, it has over 11,000 customers in China.

"We are very impressed to see that more and more Chinese enterprises are accelerating their digital transformation journey and becoming global business leaders, such as Lenovo and Petro China," Gibbs said.

Mark Gibbs, president of SAP Greater China, made a speech in Beijing in August, 2016.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Last month, SAP China announced that it would launch three cloud-based solutions with Alibaba Cloud by the end of 2016, to offer more comprehensive cloud products and services to Chinese enterprises.