Chinese brands help build nation's strength

Brands embody the competitiveness of countries as well as the enterprises that own them. In recent years, Chinese brands delivered impressive performance in both domestic and international markets, pumping vitality into the national economy.

In 2021, a total of 143 Chinese companies entered the Fortune Global 500 list, putting China atop the ranking. According to a report by British consultancy Brand Finance, Chinese brands' total value reached $1.6 trillion, or 19 percent of total brand value in the Brand Finance Global 500 ranking 2022.

- Stable improvement in innovation capacity

China's domestically developed supersized shield tunneling machine rolled off the production line on April 22 in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province, according to China Railway Hi-tech Industry Corp Ltd, a subsidiary of State-owned China Railway Group Ltd.

Named "Zhengxian", the shield tunneling machine has a diameter of 15.09 meters and weighs 4,400 tons, with several exclusive patents, the company said.

With abundant technical strength, the company continues to focus on the tunnel-boring sector, contributing a Chinese project to global tunnel construction, said Zhuo Puzhou, general manager of CRHIC. Products are exported to more than 30 countries and regions globally, with production and sales being No 1 for the fifth straight year.

- Products preferred by more customers

China's homegrown sportswear brand Anta is putting more efforts in products upgrade, store image and consumer experience. The company has grown to the world's third-largest sportswear company from a small family workshop, with revenue hitting 49.3 billion yuan ($7.35 billion) last year.

During the Beijing Winter Olympics, Anta's products gained wide attention, and registered 35 percent sales growth on a yearly basis, per data from Tmall, an online marketplace of Alibaba Group.

- Continually exploring overseas market

A growing number of Chinese brands are going global, integrating into international industrial, innovation and value chains. Last year, Chinese tech giant Lenovo Group exported more than 7.2 million units to countries and regions along the Belt and Road via China-Europe freight trains.

Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus' global shipment reached 12 million units in 2021, and more than 80 percent came from overseas markets. Electric car startup Nio also plans to launch more products and services in European countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden this year.

- Raising brand awareness

Brand awareness has become increasingly significant for Chinese enterprises enhancing their market competitiveness, offering strong support for industrial transformation and upgrade, as well as high-quality economic development.

Liu Qingfeng, chairman of iFlytek, a front-runner in the intelligent speech and AI industry, said improvement in R&D and brand image help the company accelerate development in education, healthcare, and automobile sectors. Driven by industrial upgrades, iFlytek registered a more than 40 percent growth in revenue last year.

- Innovation driving brand development

According to the latest Global Innovation Index 2021 report from the World Intellectual Property Organization, China moved up from 35th place in 2013 to 12th in world rankings, which "underlines the continued importance of governmental policies and incentives to stimulate innovation."

Lei Jun, founder, chairman and CEO of Xiaomi Corp, said late last year that high input in innovation will bring high output. Between 2022 and 2026, Xiaomi will double its investment in R&D to more than 100 billion yuan.

- Green development helps brand improvement

Many companies in China have played important roles in the front line of the country’s endeavors to realize the goal of peaking its carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

China National Petroleum Corp, the country's largest oil and gas producer, accelerated its pace of green transition, bringing highlights for its brand image. Last year, its newly added capacity in new energy exploitation and utilization reached 3.5 million tons of standard coal.

- Companies exploring room for brands growth

Only when people's needs for a high quality life are better satisfied can high-quality brands be built, an official from Chinese phone vendor Vivo told People's Daily. Paying attention to real demand from consumers not only provides direction for R&D, but also obtains recognition from users and markets.

Currently, Vivo provides products and services for more than 400 million users from over 60 countries and regions globally. This year, the company will continue to analyze consumption demand from users of different age groups, with different innovation strategy in market layout.