Editor's note: The Third Multinationals Qingdao Summit will take place in Qingdao, Shandong province, from June 20 to 21, as part of the country's efforts to accelerate high-level opening-up and boost global economic recovery. Participants' expectations for this year's summit and their insights into China's endeavors to promote a higher level of opening-up and encourage high-quality growth under the new "dual-circulation" development pattern are being featured in a series of reports by China Daily.

Nicolas Poirot, president and CEO for China unit of Air Liquide Group [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Q1. What growth opportunities did the last Qingdao Multinationals Summit bring for Air Liquide? What's your expectation for this year's summit?

A: Through last year's Qingdao Multinationals Summit, we learned about the development trends in the context of complex international relations, and explored new opportunities to fit into China's new growth pattern as Air Liquide and China share common objectives for promoting sustainability, addressing climate change and working towards energy transition. China's commitment to opening-up and low carbon development has boosted our confidence in the market.

We believe the summit will play an even greater role in enhancing dialogue among different stakeholders, increasing the mutual understanding between the Chinese market and multinationals, and further strengthening the confidence of multinationals to invest in China and Shandong.

Q2. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the long-term development trend of China's economy has not changed, the country's determination to further expand opening-up has not wavered, and the Chinese market will play a greater role in the development of MNCs. In this context, how do you see the prospects of MNCs in China?

A: Over the past decades, China has continuously rolled out effective measures and preferential policies to boost foreign investments and optimize the business environment. China is the world's largest manufacturing country and will become the largest high-quality consumer market. We are fully confident in this market. Proximity to the consumer market, good infrastructure, abundant human resources, well-established upstream and downstream industrial chains, etc., remain key factors for investment decisions.

By responding to the unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic, the State Council adopted a series of measures to stabilize the economy and market, which shows China's determination to stabilize the fundamentals of foreign investment and foreign trade, boosts the confidence and expectations of businesses, and promotes a higher level of opening-up to create a win-win business environment. So I believe MNCs in China still enjoy growth opportunities.

Q3. China is committed to peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. What new growth opportunities do you think China's climate commitment will bring to MNCs?

In recent years, China has been actively promoting economic transformation and industrial upgrading to ensure sustainable economic and social development, focusing more on the quality of economic growth, technological innovation, and low-carbon development, as well as environmental protection.

MNCs can leverage their global resources and cooperate with local partners to introduce or invent advanced technologies and practices that contribute to the fight against climate change and energy transition.

Take Air Liquide as an example, we are committed to reducing our own carbon emissions as well as helping customers lower their carbon footprint through innovative and low-carbon solutions. For instance, we will continue to drive the development of hydrogen mobility and industrial applications of low-carbon hydrogen in China, investing in the development and construction of hydrogen refueling stations, as well as accelerating low-carbon hydrogen production in key regions such as the Yangtze River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Guangdong, Hubei and Sichuan.

Q4. Please introduce Air Liquide's current investments and next moves in Shandong.

Air Liquide has maintained great relations with Shandong province since the establishment of a medical oxygen filling plant in Qingdao in 1995. As of now, Air Liquide has invested in and operates six large air separation units as well as more than 100 onsite industrial gas production facilities with onsite production units in Rizhao, Qingdao and Dongying — continuously supplying safe, high-quality and low-carbon gases, technologies and innovative solutions to local customers in steel, chemicals, metal, electronics, healthcare and environmental protection sectors, etc.

In 2021, Air Liquide started the construction of a state-of-the-art manufacturing center in Yantai, through which the company will continue to provide customers with energy-saving, low-carbon and sustainable solutions. This project has been listed as one of the 2021 key construction projects in Penglai district, Yantai city and Shandong province. As an integral part of the Air Liquide Group's long-term strategy, this E&C center will enable the Group to "manufacture in China and serve the world" for the next 50 years.