German Business in China – Greater Shanghai Innovation Survey 2018/19
Foreword
In terms of innovation, China took an important step in 2018. As the first middle-income economy,
China has entered the world's top 20 most innovative economies in the renowned Global Innovation
Index, a list compiled by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property
Organization. Considering the fact that usually high-income economies lead the innovation
landscape, China’s recent rise in the ranking has been spectacular. Since 2016, China has been
featured in the top 25 group and has consistently climbed the rankings to be 17 th this year.
What does this mean for German companies’ innovative activities in the Greater Shanghai region?
Can they reap the benefits of a more fertile innovation ground and how do they cope with enhanced
competition from local players, especially in a challenging regulatory environment? Since the
launch of this survey in 2017 by the German Chamber of Commerce in China | Shanghai, in
cooperation with Tongji University and goetzpartners Management Consultants, these questions
have become even more decisive for German local business operations. As compared to last year’s
study, innovation is increasingly among the top priorities of doing business in China. Clearly, this
topic is of high importance.
With this 2018/19 survey, we will continue to shed light on innovation behaviors in this fast-moving
economy. Thanks to the participation of over 100 manufacturing companies, we can depict this
year’s evolution. Following recent developments such as the new cyber security law which took
effect in June 2017, we investigated regulatory issues and their impact on innovation potential.
The survey will provide you with recommendations which we hope are useful for planning and
fostering your innovation activities. We would like to thank all participants for their time and energy
devoted to this survey. Without them, the insights on this important topic would not have been
possible. We hope that you take these insights and keep the innovative spirit in this vibrant market
alive.
Simone Pohl
Delegate and Chief Representative,
Delegation of the German Industry & Commerce
Executive Director and Member of the Board,
German Chamber of Commerce in China | Shanghai
Prof. Dr. Zheng HAN
goetzpartners Chair of Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Sino-German School for Postgraduate Studies (CDHK),
Tongji University
Yukai CHEN
Partner
goetzpartners Management Consultants
Goetz von Steynitz
Partner
goetzpartners Management Consultants
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