On August 24, the first special session of “Multinational Corporations Experiencing Beijing” was held in Huairou District, with more than 140 entrepreneurs from multinational corporations operating in Beijing in attendance. Yin Li, Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, delivered remarks, and Yin Yong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Beijing, presided over the event.
In his remarks, Yin Li said China is advancing the implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan, continuing to expand high-standard opening-up and improve services for foreign investment, aiming to create more opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation through its own development. As China’s capital, Beijing is a preferred destination for multinational corporations seeking to invest and expand their presence in China. The city is now home to 42 Fortune Global 500 companies. Over the past five years, an average of 2,000 foreign-invested enterprises have been newly established each year, bringing the total to 35,000.
Yin Li said that Beijing is working to lead the country in basically realizing socialist modernization and to make solid progress in high-quality development. He expressed the hope that multinational corporations would focus on cutting-edge scientific and technological innovation, deepen innovation cooperation with universities, research institutions, and technology companies in Beijing, accelerate technological breakthroughs and the commercialization of research results, and jointly explore new areas for growth. They are encouraged to deepen industrial cooperation, strengthen their presence in such fields as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, energy conservation, and environmental protection, expand businesses in areas including sci-tech finance and green finance, and promote integrated development across the cultural, commercial, tourism, sports, and exhibition sectors, thereby jointly fostering new growth drivers. They are also encouraged to expand exchanges and engagements in cross-border e-commerce and international trade, make good use of platforms such as the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), deepen economic and trade cooperation, and bring more quality products and services to the vast Chinese and Beijing markets.
Huang Xiaojun, Global Senior Vice President of Veolia Group of France, delivered remarks as a representative of the participating corporations. He said that Veolia has been rooted in Beijing for more than 30 years, during which it has witnessed firsthand the continued improvement of the city’s business environment, increasingly comprehensive services for headquarters enterprises, and smoother communication between the government and businesses. Going forward, Veolia will continue to leverage its strengths and align with Beijing’s development needs to deepen practical cooperation in such areas as water resource recycling, the control and treatment of new pollutants, and the development of zero-carbon parks, and will continue to take root in Beijing, deepen its presence, and serve the city.
The event presented measures taken by Beijing Municipality and Huairou District to support multinational corporations. That afternoon, representatives of multinational corporations visited the Huairou Science City Innovation Hall, the High Energy Photon Source (HEPS), and Yanbai Villa.
Representatives of Multinational Corporations Visit the Huairou Science City Innovation Hall (Photo by Li Shenglan)
At the Huairou Science City Innovation Hall, the overall regional planning and layout, the five major scientific fields, progress in the energy sector, and the region’s innovation ecosystem were presented in detail. Cutting-edge research scenarios and major research achievements gave the representatives a firsthand understanding of the vitality of original innovation in this “City of Science”. The representatives also visited the High Energy Photon Source (HEPS). They were deeply impressed to learn that HEPS, a fourth-generation synchrotron radiation light source, is one trillion times brighter than sunlight. “It is like using an ultra-large X-ray machine to ‘illuminate’ the microscopic world of matter. The high-brightness, high-energy, high-quality X-rays generated by HEPS can be used to detect tiny defects deep inside materials,” a staff member at HEPS explained. As of June 27, 2026, HEPS had completed four rounds of trial-operation experiments, supporting the completion of 412 user research projects.
Representatives of Multinational Corporations Visit the High Energy Photon Source (Photo by Li Shenglan)
Jiang Weiwei, General Manager for Greater China at Coloplast (China) Ltd., said in an interview that during her visit to Huairou Science City, she saw a number of cutting-edge technologies move from scientific research into practical application, delivering tangible benefits to society. Such efficient translation of research outcomes, she noted, is a vivid illustration of Beijing’s high-quality innovation ecosystem. In her view, Beijing has built a mature and well-developed business ecosystem for multinational corporations. Its multiple strengths support companies in establishing their headquarters in the city. “Beijing’s rich academic expertise, strong higher-education resources, and technological innovation capabilities are highly attractive to multinational corporations,” Jiang said.
Wang Wei, Vice President of Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Head of Medical Affairs China, during an Interview (Photo by Dong Bojia)
In an interview, Wang Wei, Vice President of Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Head of Medical Affairs China, said that Beijing’s systematic development plans for the pharmaceutical and health sector have greatly strengthened Bayer’s confidence in continuing to invest in the city. He noted that, in formulating relevant policies and regulations, the Beijing Municipal Government proactively invites companies for discussions and exchanges, hearing firsthand perspectives. “We hope to take part in more government-business dialogues in the future. While deepening industry-university-research collaboration, we also hope to contribute our insights to the development of Beijing’s pharmaceutical and health industry,” Wang said.
For representatives of multinational corporations, Yanqi Lake is a familiar name: it hosted the 2014 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, and the first and second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2017 and 2019, respectively. As a major venue supporting Beijing’s development as a center for international exchanges and a key pillar of Huairou’s “One City, Two Capitals” strategy, the Yanqi Lake International Conference Resort features a cluster of conference and exhibition facilities set amid mountains and waters, complementing the area’s picturesque lake-and-mountain scenery. The representatives visited the Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention & Exhibition Center and Yanbai Villa, where they learned in-depth about the International Conference Resort’s capacity to host international events and the quality of its services.
Zhou Xing, Public Affairs Head Partner, PwC China, Speaks in an Interview (Photo by Dong Bojia)
Zhou Xing, Public Affairs Head Partner, PwC China, said that the visit from the Science City to the shores of Yanqi Lake gave her a vivid sense of Beijing’s openness as an international metropolis. Through its commitment to shaping the future together, the city has also demonstrated strong appeal to scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors. In her view, Beijing is home to a deep pool of top-tier talent and extensive science and technology data resources. By providing shared laboratories, the city helps market entities turn innovative ideas into tangible products at lower cost and with greater efficiency. This open and inclusive innovation ecosystem, she noted, is precisely what makes Beijing an attractive destination for global talent and resources seeking to put down roots.
