A top official of the US company DuPont said his business will increase investment in China for new manufacturing projects as well as developments in technology and human resources.
Chad Holliday, chairman of DuPont, said the Chinese market is becoming increasingly important for DuPont.
Holliday was DuPont's key policy maker for its investments in China during the 1990s, when he served as the top executive for the company's Asia-Pacific operations.
The bulk of DuPont's investments in China, which currently total more than US$660 million, was made during his tenure in Asia.
"Every time I visit China, I would feel that we've made the right decision," said Holliday, who was in Beijing on Tuesday and on Wednesday on a tour celebrating the company's 200th anniversary.
DuPont China has wide-ranging operations that cover textile, new materials, agriculture and electronics.
DuPont's president for its China operations, Charles Browne, said that the rapidly growing Chinese market has played a role in helping DuPont overcome difficulties from the slowing global economy of the past two years.
Holliday said DuPont is building a sourcing centre in Shanghai, which will be responsible for purchasing goods and materials for its global manufacturing units.
On Tuesday, it launched its 20th venture in China, a wholly owned soy protein producing company in Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan Province.
DuPont officials said the launch of another soy protein company, also in Henan, is in the offing. DuPont is negotiating with the Shineway Group Co, a sausage maker in the city of Luohe, to form a joint venture.
Holliday said DuPont is considering putting more resources into research and technology development in China.
A possible scenario is that it will build a new Asian research and development (R&D) centre in China, its third after Japan and Singapore, he said.
DuPont began its foray into China in 1984, when it established its Beijing office. It now has 3,000 employees in China.
(China Daily May 30, 2002)
