U.S. firms' visit to GBA signals strong confidence in Chines

GUANGZHOU, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) led its largest and highest-level delegation of American companies to visit Guangzhou and Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province from April 8 to 10, demonstrating their strong interest in deepening commercial ties with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and confidence in the Chinese market.

The delegation included representatives from dozens of U.S. firms such as Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, General Electric, Carrier, Cargill and Cisco, covering biomedicine, information technology, finance, consumer goods and other sectors.

Sean Stein, president of the USCBC, said the visit aims to introduce more U.S. companies to the business-friendly policies and environment of the GBA.

"Guangdong is no longer just a market or manufacturing center, but it's a platform," Stein said, adding that American firms can leverage the province's strengths in innovation to enhance global competitiveness.

Cao Shan, vice president of corporate affairs and communications for Medtronic Greater China, which has been operating in China for 37 years, said the company hopes to transform into a co-builder of China's local innovation ecosystem, particularly through pilot policies in Guangdong.

"Guangdong has a well-developed consumer goods market and an advanced automobile industry," said Pang Xiongying, vice president of Westlake Corporation. "We also hope to promote the leading AI hardware and system solutions to our factories around the world."

The USCBC, headquartered in Washington D.C., has long been committed to promoting the development of U.S.-China relations and economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

As one of China's most open and economically dynamic regions, the GBA is increasingly becoming a key stage for global companies to share development opportunities, driven by its emerging consumption scenarios and technological applications.