AS the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) draws to a close, Shanghai has marked his­toric milestones in economic resilience, green transition and techno­logical innovation, cementing its role as a hub for China’s economic and in­dustrial development as it moves into the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).

As of the end of this September, Shanghai’s cumulative actual use of foreign capital during the 14th Five- Year Plan period reached US$100.33 billion.

The share of foreign investment flowing into high-tech industries has risen from 23 percent during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) period to 33 percent by the end of 2025.

In high-tech manufacturing, which includes integrated circuits, biophar­maceuticals and artificial intelligence, foreign investment accounts for 52 percent of all manufacturing-related foreign direct investment.

As Shanghai’s economy stabilizes and grows, multinational companies have driven high-quality growth and innovation in the city.

Shanghai’s foreign investment per­formance is impressive: 4,764 new foreign-invested enterprises were es­tablished in the first three quarters of this year, a year-on-year increase of 5.5 percent. This year, the city recognized 44 new regional headquarters, bring­ing the total to 1,060.

These expansions in advanced man­ufacturing and R&D reflect global companies’ confidence, as foreign businesses eye increasing opportuni­ties across multiple sectors in the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

Suzano

Pablo Machado, Suzano’s global executive vice president for strategy and Asia business, expects Shanghai’s 15th Five-Year Plan to offer clearer pol­icy guidance on “green development” and “new quality productive forces,” aligning with the company’s sustain­ability-driven growth strategy.

The Brazilian bio-based solutions developer, which entered China in the 1980s, counts China as its largest pulp export market.

Machado said China’s push for high-standard opening-up and wider foreign investment access has strengthened its confidence in deepening localisation across innovation, financing, talent, procurement and international trade.

Suzano has seen solid growth in China over the past five years, with local operations supplying products and technology while supporting Chinese exports. Its China-based pro­curement hub now sources and exports equipment, components, raw materi­als, inputs and high-end technologies to its global operations.

The company has steadily expanded its Shanghai footprint, opening its sixth global technology center, the Asia Innovability Hub, in 2023 with an investment of over US$10 million. In 2024, it established a partnership in the Lingang area, generating more than US$1 billion in sales revenue in China. A Shanghai tech hub launched in 2025 focuses on sourcing high-end technologies, including advanced manufacturing, robotics, AI and 5G for use across Suzano’s China and global operations.

Shanghai’s business environment underpins Suzano’s ongoing invest­ment, offering R&D incentives and support for foreign companies navigat­ing China’s competitive market.

“The Shanghai government has fostered a highly favorable business environment for foreign-funded enter­prises, and the city’s highly educated and highly skilled workforce ensures a continuous supply of talent necessary for industrial development,” Machado said.

During the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE), Suzano unveiled “Jinyu”, the Chinese brand for Suzano Biopulp, which signals a major step in its localization strategy.

In the next three to five years, it hopes to continuously deeply localize products, and upgrade value chain cooperation, which are the fundamen­tal drivers for Suzano’s high-quality growth in China.

“We will remain customer-focused, fully utilizing our unique innovation ecosystem in China, and engaging in extensive collaboration with local industry partners, academia and gov­ernment institutions,” Machado said 

“We are committed to becoming an active participant in the ‘modernized industrial system’ China is building.”

Pierre Fabre

Pierre Fabre is one of Europe’s 

Leading pharmaceutical companies, headquartered in southwestern France and employs about 11,000 employees worldwide.

In China, Pierre Fabre has invested in and established three subsidiaries spanning healthcare technology and cosmetic trading. In 2024, one subsid­iary was approved as Pierre Fabre’s multinational regional headquarters for China in Shanghai, creating a platform for collaboration across its medical technology and cosmetic R&D projects in the city.

In September, a group of senior ex­ecutives visited China, holding nearly 40 one-on-one pipeline discussions and visiting nine pharmaceutical tech­nology companies across Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, as the com­pany seeks to position itself for the next phase of growth in the Chinese market.

“China is undoubtedly a value high ground for European companies,” said Zheng Hongshu, senior director of Asia-Pacific Market Access & Health Economics and senior director of Busi­ness Development for China at Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals (China).

She noted that the goals and policy measures outlined for China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period present a signifi­cant opportunity for the company.

During China’s 14th Five-Year Plan period, the pharmaceutical sector was designated a strategic industry. Against that backdrop, Pierre Fabre inaugurated its China Innovation & De­velopment Center in Pudong, Shanghai, marking a key milestone in its R&D strategy in the country. Over the same period, the company’s China subsid­iaries grew into major international operations in dermatological cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, with the Chinese market ranking second globally by value contribution, after France.

Pierre Fabre expects Shanghai to continue easing access and approval processes for innovative drugs, acceler­ate regulatory and service innovations for urgently needed therapies and expand cooperation in advanced tech­nologies during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

“For pharmaceutical companies like us, this is undoubtedly an unprece­dented development opportunity, but it also places higher demands and ex­pectations on us,” Zheng said.

Pierre Fabre’s development plans for the next five years will align with na­tional policy priorities and Shanghai’s industrial planning, accelerating col­laboration and new-drug R&D to benefit both patients and the company.

Pierre Fabre also is stepping up col­laboration with local Shanghai drug technology institutions and research-oriented hospitals.

Zheng said Pierre Fabre’s approach is to focus on technological innovation as its primary role within Shanghai’s industrial ecosystem. Partnering with leading local R&D institutions is a core strategy for achieving long-term, sus­tainable development in the Chinese market.

Plansee

Austria-headquartered Plansee Group, a leading powder metallurgy company, established Plansee Shang­hai High Performance Materials Ltd in 2013, specializing in refractory metals, alloys and composites.

The first phase of its Lingang fac­tory covers 31,600 square meters. The second-phase expansion, completed in 2019, added more than 20,000 square meters. Construction on the third phase began in 2024 and has been in trial operation since October 2025.

The group launched a new semicon­ductor material and key component production line in Lingang in early 2024, boosting annual production capacity by 30 percent.

At present, its products mainly serve domestic leading semiconductor companies, including semiconductor equipment, chip manufacturing and advanced semiconductor packaging.

Richard Cheung, managing director of Plansee Shanghai, said the Lingang site was chosen for its strategic location in the Yangtze River Delta region.

“With convenient transportation and a complete industrial chain, it is particularly suitable for high-end manufacturing and import and export businesses. Lingang has gathered many advanced companies in the semicon­ductor and new energy sectors, which is conducive for companies to get closer to customers and achieve collaborative innovation.”

The Lingang Special Area has also offered strong policy support, he said. Local officials understand industry needs and provides comprehensive services, including fast-track proj­ect approvals, which helped the firm accelerate its 2024 production line upgrade.

“Shanghai is the gateway to the Chinese market and a platform for in­novation and cooperation. In the future, we hope to fully leverage Shanghai’s technological innovation advantages and open policies to further deepen our localization strategy and expand influence in the field of high-end ma­terials,” Cheung said. “We look forward to actively participating in building Shanghai into a global technological innovation center.”

Between 2021 and 2025, the group increased production capacity in Shanghai by 30 percent, with its cus­tomer base rising 50 percent. It also established long-term partnerships with several leading companies.

It expects Shanghai to strengthen policy support during the 15th Five- Year Plan in areas such as high-end materials and green manufacturing, boosting R&D and industrialization of new products.

Cheung said the group plans to capitalize on global semiconductor industry upgrades and China’s “dual carbon” goals, aiming to increase R&D investment by an average of 20 percent annually over the next five years.

Under Plansee’s plans, annual output of high-end materials is expected to double by 2030 while achieving carbon peak.