Chemical Engineering August 2016 - 72

China 2016 Special Advertising Section
China: An economy in transformation
Despite slower growth in recent years, plenty of business opportunities remain for Western
firms as China works to transform itself into a consumption-driven economy
investors from the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Increasingly sophisticated
projects thus give U.S. and European equipment vendors a chance
to compete on performance against lower-cost Chinese suppliers.
That was certainly the view of several German experts in
the run-up to AchemAsia 2016, which took place in Beijing in
May. The three-yearly trade exhibition and conference is run by
DECHEMA e.V. (dechema.de/en/; Frankfurt-am-Main). " Even with
lower growth, business opportunities are still good " , said Martin
Wansleben, Chief Executive of the Association of German Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) in an interview with the Neue
Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper.
Sanjeev Gandhi, Head of BASF's operations in Greater China and
Dawn of a new age? China's chemical process industries are
a key force in the move towards a " new normal " economy
s China works to transform itself from an investment economy
to one driven by domestic consumption, the phenomenal expansion
of the last two decades has slowed considerably, and stock
markets have been jittery. Yet, China is still growing at a rate most
developed nations would envy: 6.9% according to the official figures
for 2015, or 5% in the view of some more-sceptical economists.
The slowdown could be a temporary slump; more likely, it is simply
the beginning of a " new normal " for the Chinese economy.
The chemical process industries (CPI) remain a key driver for the
country's prosperity. The shift towards a more conventional economy
brings opportunities for Chinese businesses to consolidate and invest
in the new technology they need to gain competitive advantage
or meet tightening environmental standards, and the same is true of
A
Asia Pacific, told the China Daily that BASF was " very, very confident
about the China market " . And speaking to the Berlin newspaper
Tagesspiegel, Axel Schweitzer, CEO of Alba Group, said: " The
second-largest national economy in the world cannot grow continuously
by six or seven percent. " Schweitzer sees the slowdown as a
healthy development, and Alba has recently invested massively in
plants for recycling electronic scrap and urban waste in China.
Policy to stimulate innovation
Although China today has an outward appearance of rampant capitalism,
the government remains committed to many of the habits
of thought inspired by Communist doctrine. This raises questions
about how the economy can be successfully managed without the
openness and democratic controls most Western companies are accustomed
to. On the other hand, central control allows the government
to force the pace of change astonishingly quickly - and until
recently the Chinese leadership has been dominated by scientists
and engineers.
and Technology Development Program. Three years in the making,
this ambitious plan recognized that
CTEF exhibition shows off technology for fine chemicals
T
he 8th China
(Shanghai)
International
Chemical
Technology &
Equipment Fair
(CTEF) takes place
23-25 August at
the Shanghai New
International Expo
Centre. This annual
event, the largest of its kind in China, acts
as an indicator of the state of the nation's
chemical process industries.
Last year's CTEF occupied 35,000 m2 of
exhibition space and attracted 502 exibiting
companies from 35 countries, including the
U.S., Germany, the U.K., France, Italy, and
Russia. This year, the focus will be on technology
and equipment for the manufacture
72
of fine chemicals, with the associated topics
of energy efficiency, environmental protection,
and security. China's average annual
growth rate in fine and specialty chemicals
and new materials is 5-6%, says exhibition
organizer Guangzhou Zhenwei International
Exhibition Co., Ltd., or around 2-3% higher
than the rate for chemicals as a whole.
Chemical engineering as applied to fine
chemicals is also developing significantly
faster than in the rest of the industry.
As a result, the Chinese government sets
great store by this sector in its quest for
sustainable growth. In a fiercely competitive
market, companies who take advantage of
up-to-date technology will be able to adjust
their business strategies rapidly as market
demand changes, and hence get the greatest
profit from development trends.
Alongside the many Chinese companies
CTEF takes place at the Shanghai
New International Expo Centre
(pictured). The cover photo on p. 71
shows the Shanghai skyline.
exhibiting at CTEF, foreign visitors will find a
number of familiar names from the West.
www.ctef.net
www.zhenweiexpo.com
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
AUGUST 2016
2006 saw the launch of a 15-year Medium to Long Term Science
Continued on p73 >
AK ROCKEFELLER/FLICKR

http://www.dechema.de/en/ http://www.ctef.net http://www.zhenweiexpo.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM

Chemical Engineering August 2016

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