China Is Global Innovation Hub Presenting Foreign Firms With New Opportunities, Insiders Say – Yicai Global

Report on French-Sino Collaboration Advancing Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

• China is identified as a global hub for innovation, fostering opportunities for international manufacturing firms to advance several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• French companies, including Saint-Gobain and Dassault Systèmes, are leveraging the Chinese market to drive progress in sustainable industry, infrastructure, and global partnerships.
• Key areas of development include sustainable construction, digitalization, and the export of integrated industrial solutions, directly contributing to SDG 9, SDG 11, and SDG 17.

Saint-Gobain: Fostering Sustainable Industry and Infrastructure (SDG 9 & SDG 11)

• According to Ludovic Weber, President of Saint-Gobain Asia-Pacific, China serves as a global source of innovation and an engine for sustainable growth, aligning with SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
• The company’s focus on sustainable construction and high-performance materials supports emerging industries critical to modern, resilient infrastructure.

Key Contributions to SDGs:

1. Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9): The firm develops materials for robotics, semiconductors, and energy storage. Collaboration with Chinese partners on humanoid robots showcases advancements in industrial innovation.
2. Global Partnerships (SDG 17): A trend of Chinese firms exporting entire factory systems provides new growth avenues. Saint-Gobain’s products and technologies are integrated into these production lines, reaching markets in Southeast Asia and Europe and demonstrating a successful model of international partnership.
3. Sustainable Cities (SDG 11): The core business of sustainable construction materials directly supports the development of resilient and sustainable urban environments.

Dassault Systèmes: Digitalization for Green and Resilient Infrastructure (SDG 9 & SDG 11)

• China’s rapid digitalization provides a foundation for innovation in the manufacturing and construction sectors.
• Samson Khaou, Global Executive Vice President, noted that China’s infrastructure development is entering a new phase driven by data, collaboration, and green, low-carbon practices, presenting significant opportunities for growth.

Key Contributions to SDGs:

1. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG 9): The launch of an industrial-grade software platform, in partnership with Zhongda Digital Technology, enhances the manufacturing construction industry. The platform integrates digital twins, simulation analysis, and industrial AI to build resilient infrastructure.
2. Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11): The software has been applied to the design of smart buildings, including hospitals, promoting sustainable urbanization and resource-efficient construction.
3. Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12): Future plans include strengthening efforts in sustainable building material development, waste management, and overall building sustainability, which are crucial for promoting circular economies and responsible production patterns.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several issues that directly connect to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article discusses China as an “engine for sustainable growth” and highlights “new business opportunities” and “significant growth opportunities” for companies. This focus on economic growth, productivity, and market expansion aligns with the core objectives of SDG 8.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  This is the most prominent SDG in the article. It emphasizes China as a “global source for innovation,” the establishment of “global research and development bases,” and the development of high-tech industries like “robotics, semiconductors, and energy storage.” The text also covers infrastructure development, such as “smart hospitals,” and the upgrading of the “Chinese equipment manufacturing industry” through digitalization and sustainable practices.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The article touches upon sustainable urban development through its focus on “sustainable construction,” “building sustainability,” and the application of industrial software to the “design of buildings in China.” The mention of future plans to strengthen efforts in “waste management” also connects directly to creating sustainable cities.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The theme of collaboration is central to the article. It details partnerships between French manufacturing companies (Saint-Gobain, Dassault Systèmes) and “Chinese partners” to develop new technologies and platforms. The export of Chinese production lines integrated with French technology to other markets is a clear example of international partnership and technology transfer.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  • Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation. The article directly supports this by describing how China’s “rapid development of China’s digitalization has provided fertile ground for innovation” and how companies are seeing “significant growth opportunities” in high-tech fields like humanoid robots.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  • Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies. This is addressed through the focus on “sustainable construction,” “green and low-carbon practices,” and the development of an “industrial-grade software platform tailored for the manufacturing construction industry” that integrates “digital twins” and “simulation analysis.”
  • Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors… encouraging innovation. The article exemplifies this by stating that “China has become a global source of innovation,” with companies establishing “key global research and development bases” and collaborating on advanced technologies.
  • Target 9.b: Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries. The launch of “China’s first industrial-grade software platform” by Dassault Systèmes in collaboration with a Chinese company is a direct example of supporting domestic technology development and innovation.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  • Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to… waste management. This target is implied through Dassault Systèmes’ plan to “strengthen its efforts in areas including… waste management, and building sustainability.”

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  • Target 17.7: Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies. The article describes how “Saint-Gobain’s products and technology systems have already entered markets in Southeast Asia and Europe, along with China’s complete production lines,” which is a clear instance of technology transfer and diffusion through international partnerships.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article provides several qualitative and specific examples that can serve as indicators for measuring progress:

• For Target 9.4 (Sustainable Industries and Infrastructure):

  • Indicator: The application of advanced digital platforms for sustainable construction. The article mentions the use of a software platform integrating “digital twins, simulation analysis, data collaboration, and industrial artificial intelligence” which has “already been applied to the design of buildings in China, including smart hospitals.”

• For Target 9.5 (Research and Innovation):

  • Indicator: The establishment of R&D centers and development of new technologies. The article points to “Shanghai is Saint-Gobain’s Asia-Pacific headquarters and one of our company’s key global research and development bases” and the “collaboration with Chinese partners to develop humanoid robots.”
  • Indicator: The launch of new, domestically-focused technological products. The launch of “China’s first industrial-grade software platform tailored for the manufacturing construction industry” serves as a concrete milestone.

• For Target 17.7 (Technology Transfer):

  • Indicator: The number and scale of export projects involving integrated technology systems. The article notes the export of “entire factories” and “complete production lines” that embed technologies from overseas suppliers like Saint-Gobain into new markets, with “individual orders reaching as high as hundreds of millions of Chinese yuan.”

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: yicaiglobal.com