Editor's note

During the State visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the US from Tuesday to Friday, we are presenting a special edition. The Global Times invited several US enterprises to share their opinions on China's economic development and business environment.

As China continues on a path of economic reform and sustainable development, US companies in China are committed to the market but keep adapting to a challenging business environment that is constantly changing.

According to a survey on China's business climate conducted this year by the American Chamber of Commerce in China, about 70 percent of its member companies are optimistic about domestic market growth. They also see increasing competitive, regulatory and cost challenges.

The US companies are in the process of localizing their business and have invested significantly in local innovation in China. Foreign media reports have said that US companies, whether in the financial industry or in the Internet industry, are looking to the development potential of China's economy. They expect Xi's visit to generate new business opportunities involving China and the US.

Those companies including Boeing Co, The Coca-Cola Co, Johnson & Johnson and American Airlines Group Inc were asked by the Global Times to talk about their faith in investing in the domestic market and offer suggestions for foreign investment in the country.

James Zimmerman, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China Photo: IC

Despite the slowdown in 2014, member companies continue to see growth opportunities, especially related to domestic consumption trends, the continuing rise of an affluent middle class and urbanization.

For 2015, most companies have set organic revenue growth as a primary business objective, with 44 percent planning to launch new products or services, and 41 percent targeting new customer segments.

Rather than looking inward for solutions to address a slowing economy, it's indeed in China's best interest to stay the course envisioned at the Third Plenum and continue to open its markets and  allow market forces to help transition and rebalance the economy.

The chamber hopes to raise awareness of the challenges that the American business community faces and encourage policymakers to take concrete steps to improve the environment for foreign firms.

Further opening to foreign investment will support China's efforts to maintain economic growth levels, rebalance the economy and address a host of other challenges affecting the Chinese economy. 

AmCham China members have struggled with the challenges that affect their ability and willingness to invest in the market.

We are also hoping for an ambitious bilateral investment treaty that will provide significant impetus to China's reform program as well as the necessary assurance to those planning to invest in China.

It should feature not only a very limited negative list, but also go much further in addressing concerns such as transparency and due process, data localization, government support for State-owned enterprises, licensing and overly broad definitions of national security.

That might not happen during Xi's US visit, but we are certainly hoping for rapid progress. The future of China's economy depends on this kind of opening.

Ian Thomas, president of Boeing China Photo: Courtesy of Boeing China

The aviation market in the Chinese mainland is developing very, very rapidly.  

We see the emergence of new carriers or new start-up airlines and low-cost carriers. And we see the legacy carriers going global. Airlines are competing globally and acquiring new airplanes for long global routes. We see Chinese aviation growing at double-digit rates. 

We see passenger growth also growing at double-digit rates. And we've seen the fleet here over the past decade triple in terms of deliveries and orders. 

Boeing sees demand in China for 6,330 airplanes valued at $950 billion over the next 20 years.  Those aircraft will really help Chinese airlines become globally competitive.

And they will take Chinese people, businessmen and tourists around the world, while also bringing people to China. So connecting China to the world is a big part of our business.  We see this incredible pace of change, incredible growth. The scale, complexity, dynamism and scope of ambition of Chinese airlines and the growing numbers in terms of air travel here are hugely impressive and very exciting.

Our strategy in China is to align our investments and activities with China's national aviation objectives. And those objectives and our activities are really focused on four key areas.

The first one is to build safety, efficiency and capacity in China's air transport network and help develop a world-class air transportation system in and for China. 

The second area is to work very hard to ensure that our airline customers are globally competitive. That will happen partly through the provision of world-leading and world-class airplanes. But it will also be provided through products and services and training and technical support to our customers so that they can be globally competitive.

The third area is sustainability. It is very important that we work with our stakeholders here in China and around the globe to ensure that our industry is sustainable for the long term. 

In doing this we are focused on creating a lean and green future for aviation. We're doing a lot of that work here in China in terms of the provision of lighter and more fuel-efficient airplanes like the 787 Dreamliner. 

We are also working with agencies and the regulatory bodies and customers on air traffic management so airplanes fly highly optimized and efficient routes, so they don't have to fly around in circles waiting for a landing slot and that means fewer emissions. 

Fourth, we work continuously to build manufacturing capacity and capability here in China, working with our partners and our suppliers. So we look at safety, efficiency, capacity, airline global competitiveness and sustainability. Then you factor in capability to help China meet its national objectives in aviation.

Henrique Braun, president of Coca-Cola Greater China and Korea Photo: Courtesy of Coca-Cola

Since our return to China in 1979, Coca-Cola has created a locally rooted business system that is part of the communities where we operate in China.

Coca-Cola has confidence in China and is committed to the China market for the long term.  In August, we announced a 3-year, $4 billion investment plan in China. Our investment over the past 35 years has totaled $9 billion.

Together with our bottling partners, we will further invest in developing new local infrastructure and capability for growth, including new investments in production, distribution and marketing across China. 

We welcome the move to strengthen the rule of law and moves to create greater transparency and consistency in laws and regulations. More transparency and positive competition will benefit not only Chinese consumers, but also companies in the food and beverage sector in China.

For example, we strongly support efforts to create a more nurturing environment for innovation. Several of our best new global brands and products have been developed by our local team in Shanghai, such as Minute Maid Pulpy Orange.

Talent, especially developing local talent with a global perspective, is one of our key opportunities in China. The company has evolved talent programs over recent years, creating tailor-made cross-functional and in many cases cross-geographic experiences for the right candidates. We are confident that over time, these efforts will create a strong pool of talent for sustainable business development in China.

At the same time, we strongly believe that a sustainable business is only possible with sustainable communities. 

As we have grown our business in China to our third-largest global business, we have always sought to do good along the way. We were the first multinational company to sponsor Project Hope in 1993, and today we support more than 100 rural schools. 

Today, our sustainability efforts are focused on what we call the 3 Ws: water conservation, women's empowerment and the well-being of people.  

Jesse Wu, chairman of Johnson & Johnson China Photo: Courtesy of Johnson & Johnson China

As one of the world's most comprehensive and broadly based healthcare companies, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has had the privilege and opportunity to serve patients in China for 30 years.

We look forward to continuing to contribute to China's health system for the next 30 years and many more to come.

We founded our first joint venture in China in 1985 and now employ up to 10,000 people across more than 90 locations, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. We are optimistic about China's economic prospects. We believe that the macro trends - a large population, growing middle class, relatively low healthcare spending per capita - remain favorable for the long-term outlook of China's healthcare industry.

We are also committed to the Chinese market as an integral part of J&J's global business.

As such, we are increasing our investments here to meet the rising demand for healthcare in China and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Our recent investments include the J&J Asia Pacific Innovation Center in Shanghai, the J&J Global Lung Cancer Research Center and a pharmaceutical plant in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

J&J spans across consumer, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, providing approaches to identifying and addressing diseases of high prevalence in China.

For example, the J&J Global Lung Cancer Research Center in Shanghai looks to unify how we approach and evaluate a highly pervasive disease like lung cancer to promote disease prevention, enhance diagnosis and provide precision treatment. We aim to develop solutions for lung cancer patients in China, with the hope of eventually exporting these solutions to help patients in the res of the world.

The company appreciates the Chinese government's efforts to promote innovation.

In the field of life sciences, a healthy innovation ecosystem requires talent, technology, capital and market access policy support (such as efficient drug approval and tendering systems) to ensure sustainable development for innovative enterprises.

Of particular note, we applaud the recent opinion from the State Council on the Reform of the Review and Approval System of Drug and Medical Devices, the implementation of which could encourage the growth of innovation-driven businesses in the healthcare industry.

Maxine Peng, General Manager-China of American Airlines Photo: Courtesy of American Airlines

Both China and the US have witnessed overall positive development in the aviation industry this year because of favorable factors including continued consolidation and a revival of the global economy, as well as a reduction of fuel costs.  

The development and expansion of economic, commercial and cultural cooperation between China and the US, especially the issuance of 10-year visas for US passport holders by the Chinese government, leads to more frequent travelers between China and the US. That increases the demand for better, faster, and more frequent flight connections. In addition, economic growth drives citizens' consumption capacity, and the boosting effect of consumption upon the aviation market growth is increasingly obvious.

As a positive player in China's aviation market, as well as a participant in China-US dialogue and cooperation, American Airlines is also a beneficiary. Together with other airlines from the US and China, we build an air transportation bridge between the two countries, promote the continuous development of China's civil aviation industry and provide maximum benefits for customers in the midst of competition and cooperation. 

After American Airlines completed its merger with US Airways to create the world's largest airline (American Airlines Group), the Asian market, especially China, became the strategic focus of our business growth. Therefore, we deployed our best assets and services in China by increasing the number of non-stop routes between the two countries from three to six within one and one-half years. The three new routes link Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong to Dallas-Fort Worth, which opens new connecting opportunities for Chinese passengers traveling across the US and Latin America.

We also have been investing a lot in improving the passenger experience by modernizing our fleet. We deploy state-of-the-art B787-800 aircraft for our two routes between Shanghai/Beijing and Dallas/Fort Worth and B777-300ERs for the route between Hong Kong and Dallas/Fort Worth. These planes offer more comfort for passengers and modern facilities on board including all-aisle access and fully reclining seats for business and first class.

The profit performance of these routes has vindicated our confidence in China's economy and consumers.

I firmly believe that China's economy has great potential and exchanges between China and the US will be enhanced over time. We have full confidence in our future development in China, and we remain committed to serving the China market with our best assets.