(Investment in China) Kuehne + Nagel Global CEO: The Chinese market is the “power source” for corporate growth

China News Service, Shanghai, October 10 (Gao Zhimiao) "China and Asia are the 'power source' of our growth, especially the Chinese market." Stefan Paul, global CEO of Kuehne + Nagel, a global integrated logistics service provider, said in an interview with China News Service in Shanghai on the 10th that Kuehne + Nagel's current growth is coming from these markets and will continue to be so in the next few years.

Bosifan, who comes to China almost every quarter, this trip to Shanghai is mainly to participate in the 38th Shanghai Mayor’s International Entrepreneurs Advisory Conference. This is also the fifth consecutive year that he has participated in the conference. In his view, this conference mechanism is an important platform that connects international companies with local companies, government and business circles, allowing all parties to sit down regularly to discuss innovation needs and long-term planning.

He pointed out that although global trade faces uncertainties such as geopolitical tensions and tariff barriers, global trade will still maintain growth. The construction of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and the globalization of Chinese enterprises are becoming the two major growth engines of the logistics industry. Kuehne + Nagel will continue to deeply explore the Chinese market and help Chinese multinational companies go global.

Bosifan said that in the past two years, more and more companies have migrated their operations from local data centers to the cloud. The rise of generative AI and large language models has further boosted the demand for global data center construction, which has also brought end-to-end supply chain opportunities to logistics service providers. Chinese and Asian companies are increasingly entering this field, and Kuehne+Nagel has begun exploring end-to-end supply chain cooperation with Chinese companies.

At the same time, Bosifan is also optimistic about the logistics needs brought about by the accelerated globalization of Chinese companies. He believes that China is shifting from the "world's factory" to cultivating its own brands, and more and more Chinese companies hope to become global companies and deliver products to end consumers in different markets. This trend comes not only from large enterprises but also from a large number of mid-sized customers. He revealed that Kuehne + Nagel has signed multiple master service agreements with Chinese multinational companies to help them expand into international markets such as Latin America.

In Bosifan's view, the Chinese market is extremely important to logistics service providers: one out of every three shipping containers in the world comes from or goes to China.

Looking to the future, Bosifan is "quite confident" in the Chinese market. He said that the Chinese market is very attractive to international logistics companies, and Kuehne + Nagel will continue to invest in the Chinese market and will continue to support Chinese multinational companies to become "global players" in their fields. He also said that Kuehne + Nagel is "very open" and willing to explore more cooperation and even joint investment with Chinese OEMs (original equipment manufacturers).