Gateway to global opportunities

Shanghai City Investment Promotion Conference offers foreign entrepreneurs an outlook on business environment

Applus+ Laboratories in Shanghai is a comprehensive testing and certification base.

Kuehne+Nagel Greater China headquarters in Jing'an district in Shanghai.

Super high-rise landmarks including the Shanghai Tower and the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai.

An aerial view of the Shanghai Astronomy Museum.

The 2026 Shanghai City Investment Promotion Conference, taking place on Friday, serves as a window for global companies to explore Shanghai's business environment, advances in economic and social development, and long-term potential.

The flagship investment promotion event, part of the China International Import Expo at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), is attended by representatives from the Shanghai government, multinational companies, investment promotion agencies and academic institutions.

In 2026, Shanghai, which is committed to building its "five centers" — an international economic center, financial center, science and technology innovation center, shipping center and trade center — remains a popular business destination for global companies. This is thanks to factors such as its stable business environment, high-quality government services and openness and inclusiveness.

According to the Shanghai Commission of Commerce, in the first eight months, Shanghai recorded 4,172 newly established foreign-invested companies. Actual use of foreign capital rose 6.9 percent year-on-year to $11.59 billion. Meanwhile, the top three industries by actual use of foreign investment were leasing and business services, wholesale and retail trade, as well as scientific research and technical services.

Driving growth

Swiss logistics giant Kuehne+Nagel established its presence in Shanghai with a small office in 1986. Now, the city is home to nearly 2,000 Kuehne+Nagel employees serving Chinese and multinational customers across sea, air, road, multimodal and contract logistics.

According to Alan Ni, president of Kuehne+Nagel Greater China, over the past 40 years, Shanghai has played an important role in Kuehne+Nagel's development in China and has contributed to every achievement the company has made.

"Shanghai is a major international business and logistics hub, giving us excellent access not only to the Chinese market, but also to our global network. As the core city in the Yangtze River Delta region, it brings together many of our key customers from multinational companies to increasingly global Chinese enterprises and allows us to better understand how their needs are changing and develop the right solutions with them," Ni said.

"As supply chains become more digital, sustainable and complex, easy access to strong local expertise and an innovative business environment also make the city unique," Ni added.

With surging demand from industries such as electric vehicles and new mobility, renewable energy and high-tech sectors — where Chinese companies have become increasingly competitive globally — as well as the continued globalization of Chinese multinationals, Kuehne+Nagel said it is keen to leverage its expertise to help Chinese enterprises unlock business opportunities in both the domestic and overseas markets.

"We are seeing more Chinese companies move from simply exporting products to building manufacturing, distribution and service capabilities in overseas markets. That changes what they need from a logistics partner. They need much more than transportation from one place to another. They need global supply chain visibility, resilience, local expertise and support in navigating increasingly complex international markets. This is where Kuehne+Nagel is well positioned," Ni said.

"I would say our strategy is quite straightforward: continue to invest in China, stay close to our customers and use our global network to support Chinese companies as they become increasingly global," he added.

To date, Kuehne+Nagel has signed 25 master service agreements with Chinese multinational companies, helping them accelerate international expansion and capture new growth opportunities in global markets.

Shanghai is set to play an even greater role in connecting the logistics giant's Chinese customers with its global network — powered by deepened institutional opening-up, a thriving innovation ecosystem and an efficient business environment.

"When we talk about investment, it is not only about physical infrastructure. We have made continuous investment in our capabilities, talent and innovation in China to respond to how our customers and the market are evolving.

"Shanghai is particularly important in this context. As an international logistics hub, it provides an important platform for our regional operations, customer engagement and innovation, while connecting Chinese businesses with global markets," Ni said.

"Looking ahead, our commitment to Shanghai and to China remains long-term. We will continue to invest in our people, capabilities and innovation, guided by the evolving needs of our customers and the opportunities we see in the Chinese market," Ni added.

Long-term investor

Applus+ Laboratories, the testing and certification division of the Spain-based Applus+ Group, established a presence in Shanghai in 2007. Today, it has built a full-spectrum testing, inspection and certification platform in Shanghai, capable of serving enterprises' changing needs, from research and development to support for global expansion.

Its Shanghai Qingpu laboratory, launched in 2025, features approximately 10,000 square meters of testing facilities, covering medical device software (including software with AI components), cybersecurity, safety and reliability testing. It can help companies obtain certification under ISO 13485 and the Medical Device Regulation (EU) 2017/745.

With emerging business opportunities in the Chinese market in recent years, Applus+ Laboratories has been expanding its capacities in the country, with most of them settled in Shanghai. Its investments in factory facilities and equipment in Qingpu district of Shanghai alone have exceeded 200 million yuan ($30 million).

In June, Applus+ Laboratories announced the establishment of Applus+ (Shanghai) Investment Co in Qingpu district, with registered capital of 220 million yuan, marking the launch of its Asia-Pacific headquarters. By the end of August, 41.5 million yuan in paid-in capital had been secured.

According to Josep Prat Solergibert, president of Applus+ Laboratories in Asia, the investment company has completed the acquisition of a subsidiary testing company in China. Equity restructuring plans will be initiated across its other Chinese entities to enhance operation and management efficiency in China.

"The picture is clear: these are not isolated, one-off projects. Rather, they represent a layered, progressive development built upon a single, integrated Shanghai platform," Prat said. "For Applus+ Laboratories, Shanghai is no longer just an entry point to the market; it is our home."

Shanghai, which welcomed its first foreign testing, inspection and certification company in the 1980s, has become a major hub for foreign TIC companies. According to Prat, Shanghai's industrial density — featuring a high concentration of multinational corporate headquarters, R&D centers and import-export hubs — together with its mature headquarters economy and regulatory environment, well-established innovation ecosystem, and links to the vast Chinese market with global supply chains, also contributes to the city's advantages in developing TIC business.

"The gathering of numerous global TIC institutions in Shanghai is not a sign of 'saturation'; rather, it is the best proof of Shanghai's uniqueness," said Prat.

Despite the complex global business environment, Prat said Applus+ Laboratories remains bullish about China's development with Shanghai serving as the "brain".

"We see a set of structural, long-term drivers powering our growth: the rapid innovation in medical devices and digital health; the global expansion of Chinese manufacturers, who must demonstrate compliance across multiple markets; the increasing emphasis on cybersecurity and product safety; and emerging frontiers such as embodied AI and robotics, advanced materials, carbon management and carbon tariffs, and aerospace. This is precisely where TIC providers create value," Prat said.

"Within this strategy, Shanghai serves as our command hub. We believe what Shanghai offers is something no simple cost-benefit calculation can capture: it puts you right next to the customers, regulators, talent, and supply chains that determine who wins. We keep investing in Shanghai because the returns we've seen in knowledge, partnerships, and market access have consistently exceeded our wildest expectations," he said.

"If you want to compete in the industries of the future, place your most demanding compliance and quality work where innovation is most concentrated — and today, that place is Shanghai. Please don't come to Shanghai as a mere visitor. Come as a long-term investor. This is a city that truly rewards both patience and ambition," Prat added.

Concepts into reality

Over the past few years, global fashion brand Coach has achieved many firsts in Shanghai: opening the first Coach Coffee Shop in 2024, launching the first retail store within a resort in China at Shanghai Disney town, and introducing a new sub-brand, Coachtopia, in 2023.

According to Liliana Lucioni, president of Coach China, these "firsts" represent not only the brand's innovative exploration of retail formats and consumer experiences, but also its long-term confidence in the Shanghai market and its steadfast commitment to translating innovative ideas into concrete action.

According to Lucioni, Coach's parent company, Tapestry, operates more than 350 stores in over 90 cities in China. Coach will continue expanding its footprint and enhancing its omnichannel experience, while investing in product innovation and craftsmanship and strengthening engagement with Chinese consumers, particularly younger generations, through locally relevant products and experiences. Shanghai, which hosts Tapestry's Asia-Pacific headquarters, will continue to be a crucial base for Coach.

"For us, the unique value of Shanghai lies not only in its international business environment and vibrant consumer market but also in its ability to swiftly turn innovative ideas into reality. The city attracts consumers with a keen sense of emerging trends and consumption experiences, as well as creative local partners, allowing us to stay close to market changes, quickly understand consumer needs, and integrate these insights into innovations in products, services and retail experiences," said Lucioni.

"By initiating innovative practices in Shanghai and understanding consumer feedback, we can continuously accumulate experience and extend successful models to other cities in China, injecting sustained momentum into the brand's long-term development in China and broader regional markets," she said.

Lucioni, who has spent many years overseeing the development of various fashion brands across Asia and China, also believes that Shanghai is — and will continue to be — an ideal city for global brands to take the first step on their China journey.

"For multinational enterprises, choosing an investment destination involves not only considering market size and growth potential but also paying attention to the level of openness, the business environment and whether the location can provide favorable conditions for the long-term development of the company.

"Shanghai's unique advantage is its positioning as a city with a high level of openness to the outside world and its role as a crucial gateway connecting China with global markets," said Lucioni. "Shanghai is not only a window through which the world can understand China, but also a stage where global wisdom and local creativity come together."