/ world today news/ European aircraft manufacturer “Airbus” opened at the end of last week a research center (Airbus China Research Center) in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou, whose main task will be to develop the technological infrastructure through digitization.
It is another major European company to further expand technology investment in China and comes after French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the country, during which a number of trade deals with European companies were announced, showing that they are rejecting a clearly politically motivated course towards “unbundling ” with China. Strategically located in the Yangtze River Delta region, the center will benefit from its proximity to a good supply chain there related to the aeronautical and hydrogen industries. It will carry out research in manufacturing innovation, hydrogen infrastructure, the aircraft environment and new technologies. The center will also work on the transformation and modernization of the aviation industry through digitization and artificial intelligence, and will also support research and innovation projects with promising technologies and good market expectations.
“In addition to its promising aviation market, China offers advanced technological advantages in many areas. “Airbus is working with partners and in particular with China to maintain technologies, discover different resources, introduce alternative fuels and develop the hydrogen ecosystem, striving to create a sustainable aviation,” said Sabine Klauke, Chief Technical Officer of ” Airbus”. According to her, the center will actively serve the company’s Tianjin factory to improve product efficiency and also ensure sustainable development with the Chinese aviation market.
As part of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit, Airbus signed an agreement for the sale of 160 commercial jets with a Chinese partner and will open a second assembly line in Tianjin, further expanding its presence in one of the world’s largest aviation markets.
“The deals show our confidence in China’s investment environment as the local aviation industry will continue to grow,” Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said in an April 6 interview.
“China’s stability and trend towards economic growth are a magnet for European companies. For them, political relations between countries are important, but the market environment is more important. Avoiding political and geopolitical risks has become an increasingly important consideration for European companies,” said Cuei Hongyen, director of the European Studies Department at the China Institute of International Studies. “Given the deterioration of the internal and external environment, European countries are facing a difficult economic recovery, which also pushes companies to look for investment markets with stable income and low costs. It is clear that relations between China and Europe are recovering, which creates a better environment for European companies investing here, and Macron’s visit reinforces this trend,” he adds.
Airbus is not alone. Another major French company, Schneider Electric, said two R&D centers and an innovation laboratory had been set up in China over the past four months, further strengthening the Asian country’s status as one of the company’s four global bases. Meanwhile, Schneider Electric has seen a 15 percent increase in R&D investment in China over the past few years.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said during her visit to China on April 6 that the EU does not approve of “splitting” and disruption of supply chains and hopes to strengthen exchanges and dialogue with Beijing in the name of “more mutually beneficial cooperation”, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
China-EU bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation has good momentum and prospects. Data from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade show that trade between China and the EU will reach $847.3 billion in 2022, an increase of 2.4 percent year-on-year. China and the EU are each other’s second largest trading partners, the investment flows of Chinese companies to the EU will reach 7 billion dollars, and those of European companies – 102.9 billion dollars. Last Tuesday, a cargo plane of France’s CMA CGM Air Cargo left Paris for Guangzhou, marking the start of the intercontinental cargo route launched between the two cities’ airports this year, according to the Xinhua news agency.
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