Brands see rising global influence

Chinese brands, which continue to embrace technological advancements and digital transformation, are seeing high influence and competitiveness on the global stage, which is characterized by innovation and quality in the new era, said government officials and industry leaders.

Entering a phase of high-quality economic development, China's domestic brands are experiencing rapid growth in both quantity and quality, accompanied by rising global influence, said Wang Yiming, vice-chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

Wang made the remarks at the 2024 China Brand Forum hosted by the People's Daily in Beijing on Thursday.

"Chinese brands are capitalizing on opportunities to drive industrial digitalization and intelligent transformation. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence, they are expanding sales channels, enhancing brand visibility, and fostering deeper customer engagement around the world," Wang said.

However, challenges still persist in some aspects, including a limited number of globally recognized brands, low technological content in certain offerings, and a need to boost international brand image and appeal, Wang added.

"The key to advancing Chinese brands lies in enhancing quality and fostering new quality productive forces," he said, highlighting the importance of accelerating digital and intelligent transformation across industries and delivering technologically advanced products to lead market trends.

Zhang Deqin, chairman of premium liquor maker Kweichow Moutai, emphasized the key role digital transformation has played for traditional enterprises like his company.

For example, the baijiu producer's online sales platform, "iMoutai", integrates products, distributors and consumers into a multiscenario ecosystem. The platform has already attracted over 70 million users, setting a benchmark for the distillery industry's digital transformation, Zhang said.

Kang Bo, vice-president of new energy vehicle manufacturer Seres Group, highlighted the group's Super Factory in Chongqing as a global example of digitalization in the automobile industry. Equipped with over 3,000 robots in intelligent collaboration, the facility has achieved full automation in key processes, he said.

"The highly intelligent Super Factory serves as good practice in our efforts to foster new quality productive forces, and underscores the resilience of China's new energy vehicle sector," Kang said.

Looking ahead, the government will retain its focus on fostering innovation-led industrial transformation and building a robust industrial technology innovation system, said Xie Shaofeng, chief engineer at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

"By leveraging the advantages of China's massive market, enriched by diverse scenarios and extensive applications, we aim to propel technological upgrades and product iterations among Chinese brands," Xie said.