Shanghai a safe haven for global enterprises ahead of 15th Five-Year Plan

In the past five years, the city's cumulative utilized foreign investment reached $100.33 billion

BEIJING, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn:

During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), foreign enterprises demonstrated their confidence in Shanghai by establishing various business projects encompassing research and development, production, headquarters and marketing.

In the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), companies said that the city will continue to be an engine for supporting their journey in the Chinese market.

As of September, the city's cumulative utilized foreign investment during the 14th Five-Year Plan reached $100.33 billion. It is home to 631 foreign-invested R&D centers, with more than 50 percent focused on industries such as information technology, auto parts and biopharma. Additionally, a total of 1,060 foreign-invested headquarters are in Shanghai.

Emerging opportunities

Suzano, one of the world's largest producers of market pulp, entered the Chinese market in the 1980s. Driven by growth in the Chinese market, Suzano has established a local presence that manages sales, investments, R&D, operations, procurement, finance, value chain partnerships and stakeholder engagement. Shanghai is home to its regional headquarters and the Asia Innovability Hub.

"Leveraging the core hub (Shanghai), along with the network spanning Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam and India, we have built an agile and efficient pan-Asian structure dedicated to innovation and operational excellence," said Pablo Machado, global executive vice-president of strategy and Asia business at Suzano and president of business management at Suzano Asia.

Machado said that Shanghai, as China's science and technology innovation center, boasts rich economic resources and an active industrial ecosystem, making it one of the most developed and open cities in the country. The city's highly educated and skilled population provides a continuous supply of talent for industrial development. Strong policy support creates a business-friendly environment, promotes R&D and simplifies the process for foreign companies to navigate the complex and highly competitive Chinese market.

"These collective advantages offer excellent support for Suzano to establish itself in China and drive business development across the Asia-Pacific region," added Machado.

Shanghai, home to many leading universities and research institutes, also enables Suzano to establish research projects to address challenges more efficiently.

So far, China has become Suzano's largest export destination for pulp and the core of operations across Asia. The company, which has been developing in China for more than 40 years, will embrace emerging opportunities in China in fields such as green development, according to Machado. It will continue to localize its industry chain and upgrade its value chain to serve China's initiatives such as green transition and consumption upgrade.

"During the 14th Five-Year Plan, I have been deeply impressed by China's commitment to high-standard opening-up and easing restrictions on foreign investment access. This has given Suzano strong confidence to deepen our localization in China, integrating comprehensively with the Chinese market in areas including innovation, financing, human resources, procurement and international trade," said Machado.

"Suzano will remain customer-focused, fully utilizing our unique innovation ecosystem in China, and engaging in extensive collaboration with local industry partners, academia and government institutions, committed to becoming an active participant in the 'modernized industrial system' the country is building," he added.

In the next five years, Shanghai's efforts in promoting green development and fostering new quality productive forces will empower Suzano in China, according to Machado.

"We anticipate that Shanghai will provide clear policy guidance on green development and new quality productive forces. Suzano's 'Innovability' concept, the pursuit of sustainable solutions through innovation, is fully aligned with this," he said.

At the eighth China International Import Expo, held in Shanghai in November, the company officially revealed the brand Jinyu, which literally means Golden Fish. It is the Chinese brand for Suzano Biopulp, according to the company.

"This name, chosen for its cultural resonance, symbolizes the premium quality and enduring value of our products and partnerships. It signals a major step in our localization strategy," said Machado. "It is a commitment to our Chinese customers that we are here to grow with them, providing tailored, sustainable solutions that meet their evolving needs. This also reflects our role in the Chinese industry, supporting our customers in becoming more competitive and investing in them and alongside them to ensure they deliver higher-quality products to increasingly sophisticated Chinese consumers."

Advancing development

Plansee Shanghai, specializing in the manufacture of refractory metals, alloys and composites, established its presence in Shanghai in 2000.

Over 25 years, Plansee Shanghai has been expanding its footprint in the city. In 2013, it opened its first production site, occupying more than 36,000 square meters in the Lingang area of Shanghai. An expansion of this site was completed in 2019, followed by a third phase of expansion finished in 2025.

Currently, the production site of Plansee Shanghai in the Lingang Industrial Zone is dedicated to the research and production of refractory metals and their alloys. It has established a solid customer base across high-tech manufacturing industries such as semiconductors, aerospace, medical technology, power transmission and distribution, heat treatment and the electronics industry.

Richard Cheung, managing director of Plansee Shanghai, said that the company chose Shanghai to begin its Chinese journey due to the city's outstanding talent pool, strong international perspective, and well-developed industrial ecosystem. Efficient and transparent government services, along with a deep understanding of industry needs and the ability to provide comprehensive support, were also key factors in Plansee's decision to establish itself in Shanghai.

"We chose Lingang because of its advantageous location at the hub of the Yangtze River Delta," added Cheung. "This location offers convenient transportation and a comprehensive industry chain, making it particularly suitable for high-end manufacturing and import-export business. Meanwhile, Lingang is home to numerous advanced enterprises in the semiconductor and new energy sectors, facilitating close proximity to customers and collaborative innovation."

In the next five years, Plansee Shanghai will leverage its global network, which includes experts from the European headquarters and locally trained professionals, to deliver tailored high-performance material solutions to its clients. It is set to expand the application of its high-performance materials across key sectors such as medical devices, consumer electronics and new energy vehicles.

Plansee Shanghai also intends to enhance its collaboration with universities and research institutions in Shanghai, fostering the customized development of materials to better meet the innovative demands of the Chinese market. In addition, the company will boost local R&D efforts and invest in green manufacturing to solidify its market position, with plans to increase annual R&D spending by an average of 20 percent.

"Over the next five years, Plansee Shanghai will continue to ramp up investment in new product development and industrial layout," said Cheung. "By 2030, we expect the annual production of high-end materials to double from current levels, while also striving to achieve our carbon peak goals."

Plansee Shanghai is committed to deepening its roots in the city and contributing to its development through expertise.

"Shanghai is not only a gateway to the Chinese market but also a hub for innovation and collaboration," said Cheung. "We will leverage Shanghai's strengths in technological innovation and its open policies to further advance our localization strategy and expand our influence in the high-end materials sector. We are dedicated to actively participating in Shanghai's growth and supporting its ambition to become a global technological innovation center."

Continuing success

Pierre Fabre, one of Europe's leading pharmaceutical companies which has made significant strides in China, said that the goals and concrete measures announced by China for the 15th Five-Year Plan present a historic opportunity for the group. It will continue synchronizing with Shanghai's development over the next five years.

According to Zheng Hongshu, senior director of Asia-Pacific market access & health economics and senior director of business development for China at Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals (China), the company believes that in the next five years, Shanghai will continue to introduce open measures in innovative drug access and approval processes, accelerate innovation in regulatory and service models for clinically urgent drugs and embrace cutting-edge technologies and open cooperation. Pierre Fabre's development plans must be based on the policies of this period and feature synchronization with Shanghai's industrial planning, acceleration of the collaboration and R&D process for new drugs, and benefits for both patients and the company.

With the support of the Shanghai government, a subsidiary of the Pierre Fabre Group was approved in 2024 to become a multinational regional headquarters. This provides a cooperation platform for multiple projects of Pierre Fabre's medical technology and cosmetic R&D companies in Shanghai, according to Zheng.

"We have undertaken some beneficial practices. In the future, we will continue to actively seek in-depth cooperation with various local partners such as academia, clinical research centers and biotech companies to jointly promote innovation in oncology and skin health, bringing more high-quality, effective and safe products to the Chinese market."

SOURCE chinadaily.com.cn