Interview: SAP Global VP sees new opportunities in Chinese market through digitalization, green development

FRANKFURT, March 25 (Xinhua) -- More opportunities are being created as the Chinese economy steers toward a high-quality growth model characterized by digitalization, a low carbon footprint and innovation, an executive at German multinational software company SAP has said.

"Chinese companies are going fully digital, connected and environment-friendly, which opens a window of opportunity for SAP in China," Chenhong Huang, global executive vice president of SAP and president of SAP Greater China, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"We have full confidence in the long-term development within the China market," said Huang, adding that China has always been one of the most important markets for SAP, the largest software firm in Europe and a Fortune Global 500 company.

"As a multinational company founded in Germany, SAP's business development in China has benefited from China's deepening reform and opening up and rapid economic development," he said.

According to Huang, the number of SAP customers in China has risen to 16,000 since it set foot on the Chinese market 30 years ago.

He noted that SAP has witnessed the rapid growth of its customers in China, including leading Fortune Global 500 companies and a significant number of small and medium-sized companies with specialized expertise.

Huang said China's business environment has improved steadily, adding that its ranking has jumped from 96th to 31st in the world since 2013.

"Policies introduced by central government departments and local governments this year continue to boost the confidence of foreign investors," Huang said.

He said China has the world's second-largest digital economy, and the cloud market's growth rate is awe-inspiring.

China has also announced that it will peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Huang noted that these goals actively impact the global economy and environment.

"SAP is willing to contribute to the green transformation of Chinese companies through digitalization," he said.