Industries see opportunities inXi’s proposal

Editor's Note: As China holds an international forum on the Belt and Road Initiative in Beijing next month, China Daily talks with business leaders over their views and their participation in the developments.

JanRinnert, chairman ofHeraeus JoseVinals, chairman of Standard Chartered Plc Leif Johansson, chairman of the board of Ericsson SongHailiang, chairman of Shanghai ZhenhuaHeavy Industry Co Ltd (ZPMC) Jean-Pascal Tricoire, chairman and CEOof Schneider Electric SA Gao Yan, CEOof thyssenkrupp Greater China Girish Ramachandran, Asia Pacific president of Tata Consultancy Services

The Belt and Road Initiative is an encouraging and visionary initiative. Today’s it’s more focused on physical infrastructure investment, with substantial financial systems in place such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as the cornerstone. In the future it will lead to cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The initiative would require extra efforts and coordination among publicprivate partnership, something that Europe can share some experiences with China.

The initiative will lend new momentum for the company’s growth. Actually Heraeus has already been doing business in countries along the route. In the future, we look forward to the digital and data infrastructure building under the Initiative where there is a larger role for us to play.

The Belt and Road Initiative is the most important single initiative that exists and it is fostering cross-border integration in terms of infrastructure, cross-border investment and international trade. China is championing the initiative, which is very fundamental.

We are very strategically supporting this initiative, because we think it’s very important for all the countries we serve in Asia, Middle East and Africa. The initiative, by enhancing infrastructure that allows the countries to be connected, therefore promoting investment and trade, is a major factor to support growth, development and the prosperity of those countries.

Standard Chartered last year participated in 40 deals related with the initiative. For example, we have supported Chinese governments to develop water power plants in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a very good articulation of something that can be good for many countries.

It is built on an old thought of connecting the world trade, but of course it will be built in reality with new technology, all the way from airports, logistics and infrastructure on communication that Ericsson can help.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a grand international theater in which actors, directors, and scriptwriters must include people from various nations. The initiative starts with physical connection of high-speed roads, railway, airports and ports. With that in place, it would evolve into a broader platform to strengthen trade and cultural ties.

The platform would push the once loose, isolated and bilateral agreements into deepened multilateral cooperation. It will unleash huge value as times passes by.

ZPMC is a pioneer and a steady enforcer of the initiative. More than 50 countries along the route have ZPMC equipment installed, and I expect the number to grow as the initiative brings synergies and radiates to more nations.

The company is eyeing to expand to Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and other countries inWest Asia.

It is a very responsible thing for China to support the countries along the route of the Belt and Road Initiative to get better infrastructure. With the fast development ofChina in the past fewyears, it has accumulated rich experience and had real competency in building infrastructure, meanwhile, many countries are in need of that kind of infrastructure.

Therefore, this initiative is a great plan, probably one of the biggest plans within this century. We see a lot of potential in working together with Chinese enterprises as we have strong presence in the countries along the route of the initiative, we could support the plan.

Schneider Electric could provide complete solutions through its product, technology and service to create value for concrete, steel and water treatment sectors. When Chinese companies go abroad and look for partners, we could help them to be their assistant as we have already been there, owning engineers and service teams there, which could help these enterprises reach local standard, grow faster there as well as help them export.

The Belt and Road Initiative helps coordinating development policies, forging connected infrastructure construction and also strengthening trade relations in the regions involved.

As the CEO of thyssenkrupp Greater China, I see great opportunities for us to participate in and contribute to this initiative by leveraging our outstanding engineering expertise and rich experiences.

I amlooking forward very much to the good cooperation with Chinese partners along with this initiative to bring mutual benefits.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a great opportunity for global trade, and to build connectivity for China around the world by enabling a more efficient supply chain. The whole initiative for reviving the Silk Road is technology-driven, and it will in turn help China bring some of its worldclass technologies to economies along the route. The Belt and Road Initiative will also driveChinese brands to gain international fame, which is set to pave the way for China’s next phase of growth.

TCS is a strong believer and supporter of globalization, and the Belt and Road Initiative certainly serves that purpose. We generate 95 percent of total revenue from outside India, and the initiative will continue to fuel business momentum for us. While certain countries are looking inward, I hope it’s a passing cloud and more people will see opportunities in the initiative.

Chen Qihua, vice-president of Caterpillar Inc and chairman of Caterpillar China

The core of the Belt andRoadInitiative lies in bringing interconnectivity to the ancient trade routes through infrastructure construction. That’s exactly what Caterpillar is delivering on all fronts.

As part of Caterpillar’s long-term commitment, we will continue to facilitate Chinese indigenous partners on projects along the Belt and Road economies.

We are planning to organize a group of Chinese large contractors to go on an inspection tour in Africa and theMiddle East in April, where Caterpillar owns mature dealership network and rich resources.

The initiative will benefit our efforts to promote interactions between Chinese contractors seeking overseas opportunities and service providers in host countries.

GregoryHayes, chairman and CEOof United Technologies Corp

We have already started it with bringing the technology center for high-rise construction here to Shanghai to develop the markets along the Belt and Road Initiative. We also use China as a base to export across Asia and even back to the US on the escalators. It remains an opportunity for us to continue to expand manufacturing for export.

Our strategy is to continue providing innovative, cost-competitive and sustainable technologies for the aerospace and building industries for all the markets along these two trading routes. Also focus on creating new value for our customers through investment in new technologies and digital initiatives.