On the afternoon of February 23, the 16th Great Wall Friendship Award Ceremony and Symposium was held at Shougang Park. Fifteen foreign nationals were recognized for their contributions in various fields, including economy and finance, science and technology, education, medical and public health, culture and sports.
The Beijing Great Wall Friendship Award is the sole award and the highest honor bestowed by Beijing upon foreign nationals in the city. It has been held for 16 sessions and has honored a total of 221 individuals from 32 countries.
So, who are they? What significant contributions have they made to Beijing? What are their thoughts on Beijing? What advice do they have for Beijing's high-quality development? Let's take a look.
We are confident about developing in Beijing
Bayer Healthcare Co., Ltd. has been rooted in Beijing for 29 years since its establishment in 1995, and has achieved remarkable results with an annual output exceeding 10 billion yuan for 12 consecutive years. Carl-Alexander Scheef, Vice President of Bayer Healthcare Co., Ltd. and Head of Pharma Product Supply in China, expressed full confidence in the company’s development in Beijing and hopes to make greater contributions to the city in the future.
Beijing's reform and opening-up efforts, along with favorable policies, have been a magnet, he added. As one of the earliest multinational companies to establish a presence in Beijing, Bayer Healthcare has greatly benefited from these policies. For example, by settling in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA), Bayer Healthcare has become a beneficiary of the preferential policies for the national-level economic-technological development area and the national hi-tech industrial park, as well as import tax concessions. In addition, the company enjoyed streamlined customs clearance procedures.
In recent years, there has been an increasing national support for the development of innovative pharmaceuticals. In response to these policies, Bayer has intensified its efforts to gain approval for various new drugs in its R&D pipeline in China. Over the past five years, our Beijing-based R&D center has introduced about 30 new drugs or indications to the Chinese market, according to Scheef.
Bayer's growth has been strongly bolstered by the improving business environment in Beijing. The continuous introduction of new measures that address the needs and challenges of companies through visits from departments at all levels, have noticeably enhanced the business environment. This has shored up Bayer's confidence in its long-term commitment to Beijing. He stated. that he has been communicating China's healthcare policies to their German headquarter, which has boosted its confidence in investing in China.
As head of product supply in China, he has translated Bayer's confidence in investing in Beijing into action. Since assuming his position in Beijing in 2021, he has successfully overseen the local production of Bayer's innovative drugs and medical supplies in Beijing's factories. He affirmed that Bayer will continue to serve as a role model for intelligent manufacturing and contribute to Beijing’s development into a global pacesetter in digital economy.
Scheef regards Beijing as a hospitable and pleasant city. Apart from work,he finds life the city enjoyable and describes it as a diverse place that combines modernity with tradition, prosperity with stability, and creativity with discipline. He was impressed by the well-maintained social security environment and the well-developed infrastructure. He often takes the subway to go shopping and enjoys weekend excursions to the outskirts.
Scheef expressed his gratitude for being awarded the 16th Beijing Great Wall Friendship Award and attributed the honor to Bayer and all his colleagues in Beijing. He expressed his hope that Bayer would continue to bring benefits to more Chinese patients and the public in the future.
