Against the backdrop of the in-depth restructuring of the global industrial and supply chains, the trend of foreign-funded enterprises increasing investment in the Chinese market has become increasingly evident. According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, from January to August 2025, 42,435 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, a year-on-year increase of 14.8%. More than half of Japanese enterprises stated that they will “increase or maintain” their investments in China, and the layout adjustments of multinational corporations such as Yokogawa Electric have become vivid examples of this trend.
Founded in 1915, Yokogawa Electric has been operating in China for 60 years. Its strategic transformation reflects the deepening understanding of foreign-funded enterprises towards the Chinese market. From the initial “global technology localization” to the current “local demand-driven innovation”, Yokogawa Electric’s role in China has transformed from a “technology exporter” to a “local co-creator”. Its factories and R&D centers established in Suzhou, Chongqing, Beijing and other places not only customize measurement and control systems for China’s new energy industry, but also feed back the cooperation results to the global market, forming a virtuous cycle of “local innovation – global output”.
The uniqueness of the Chinese market has become the core advantage of attracting foreign capital. Koji Komatsu, Managing Director of Yokogawa Electric (China) Investment Co., Ltd., pointed out that the Chinese market has achieved a “dual breakthrough in speed and depth”: the pace of industrial digitalization and low-carbon transformation is far ahead of other markets, and at the same time, demand shows obvious stratification, requiring both world-class technologies and cost-effective solutions. This uniqueness has promoted foreign-funded enterprises to continuously increase local investment, integrating into China’s industrial ecosystem in all aspects, from production and manufacturing to technology R&D, and from engineering teams to sales networks.
The continuous optimization of the policy environment has provided stable expectations for foreign capital. China’s measures to advance high-level opening-up and policy inclinations towards high-tech industries have enabled foreign-funded enterprises to lay out their long-term development with greater confidence. The three key areas focused on by Yokogawa Electric – “green energy digitalization”, “life science intelligence” and “industrial carbon management services” – are highly aligned with China’s “dual carbon” goals and industrial upgrading directions. This “synchronous resonance” allows foreign-funded enterprises to share the dividends of China’s development while opening up new space for their own growth.
