Hou Yang: Microsoft is full of confidence in the prospect of accelerated development of China's digital economy

【Multinational Enterprises in China】

Editor's note: I walked into a multinational enterprise in China and listened to the CEO of a foreign enterprise talking about "opportunities for Chinese-style modernization" and explaining "the way of economic globalization".

　　China News Service, October 19th:

　　China-Singapore Finance reporter Wu Tao

　　"Microsoft has settled in China for 30 years, along with the start, development, prosperity and take-off of China's information industry. Microsoft's business scale, talent development, industry influence and social contribution in China have developed and grown with the times. Microsoft has achieved All the achievements are inseparable from the huge innovation and vitality of the Chinese market, as well as the attention and support of all parties."

　　Recently, Hou Yang, senior vice president of Microsoft, chairman and CEO of Greater China, said in an exclusive interview with China-Singapore Finance that the confidence and determination to develop in China is reflected in Microsoft's continuous investment in China, and Microsoft will continue to expand its presence in China. In terms of business scale, talents are the key to the sustainable development of Microsoft's future business, and Microsoft will continue to expand recruitment in China.

　　Hou Yang also said that China's constantly strengthening economic foundation and technological innovation capabilities have shown strong resilience and flexibility in the face of risks, and this resilience and potential will burst into greater energy in the digital economy era.

Microsoft is full of confidence in the prospect of accelerated development of China's digital economy.

The interview transcript is as follows:

Zhongxin Finance: In 2022, Microsoft has settled in China for 30 years.

From the opening of Microsoft's first office in Beijing in 1992, to the fact that it now has branches in Shanghai, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Guangzhou and other 13 cities in China, how do you evaluate Microsoft's development achievements in China?

After so many years of hard work in the Chinese market, what is Microsoft's greatest achievement?

Hou Yang:

Microsoft has always adhered to its responsibilities and responsibilities as a global technology company. On this basis, we have achieved a series of achievements in helping the development of Chinese society, enterprises and talents.

For example, in the face of China's opportunities for the accelerated development of digital economy and digital technology, Microsoft has deepened cooperation with all parties, actively promoted education and training of new technologies and new skills, extensively expanded talent development prospects, and provided more people with equal and inclusive development opportunities .

　　In China, Microsoft has developed a unique model that is different from other markets and regions. At the same time, it is also well aware that it is not easy to expand into new markets. Therefore, we hope to share this experience with more companies.

Microsoft has been actively assisting the global expansion of Chinese innovation and seeking broader business development; at the same time, with its own experience, it has empowered more multinational companies to innovate locally, and stimulated local innovation to be pushed back to the world.

　　Microsoft has settled in China for 30 years, with the start, development, prosperity and take-off of China's information industry.

Microsoft's business scale, talent development, industry influence and social contribution in China have developed and grown with the times.

　　In the future, we will continue to uphold our commitment to support China's development, persistently promote the innovation of cutting-edge technologies, and work together with all partners to contribute to the innovation and development of China's technology, ecology, talents, and society.

Zhongxin Finance and Economics: As a world-renowned multinational company, from a global perspective, how does Microsoft view the development prospects of the Chinese economy and the Chinese market, or what new business growth points the Chinese market can bring to multinational companies?

Hou Yang:

As the world's second largest economy and the world's largest trader of goods, China ranks among the top in the world in terms of foreign investment and foreign investment. In recent years, China has continued to open up to the outside world and optimized its investment and business environment.

With the advancement of opening up and the resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy, foreign companies have more opportunities to invest and start businesses in China, and the Chinese market has become more and more attractive.

China's continuously strengthening economic foundation and technological innovation capabilities have enabled it to demonstrate strong resilience and flexibility in the face of risks. This resilience and potential will burst into greater energy in the digital economy era.

Under the new normal, it can be seen from the rapid development and popularization of new technology scenarios such as hybrid office and telemedicine in China that the resilience and potential of the Chinese market are immeasurable, and this resilience and potential will burst in the digital economy era. out more energy.

　　Microsoft is full of confidence in the prospects for the accelerated development of China's digital economy, and hopes to give full play to Microsoft's global technology, services and resources, and work with customers in various industries and partners to jointly explore China's opportunities in the digital economy era and help more Chinese Global expansion of innovation, local innovation of multinational enterprises.

Zhongxin Finance: At present, many Chinese enterprises are still facing digital transformation, and it is urgent.

How do you view the wave of digital transformation of Chinese enterprises, and what opportunities and challenges does it bring to multinational companies such as Microsoft?

Hou Yang:

The reason why Chinese enterprises want to carry out digital transformation is that they are faced with the dual needs of necessity and urgency.

On the one hand, enterprises need to improve productivity, competitiveness and operational efficiency through digital transformation to achieve more efficient and rapid development.

On the other hand, the epidemic has changed the traditional office-centric working model. Remote working and hybrid working models have enabled companies to accelerate their digital transformation process when faced with business digitization and cross-regional collaboration.

　　We have built a unique symbiotic relationship with tens of thousands of local partners to facilitate local innovation.

On the one hand, the Microsoft partner system has a unique "cohesion", which combines years of technology, capabilities, funds and resources to help partners develop innovative culture and business resilience, and enhance their core competitiveness in technology and business; at the same time, Microsoft's more open, diverse, and inclusive local ecosystem also brings together the advantages and capabilities of thousands of local wide-area channel partners to meet the digital transformation of Chinese customers in different industries, scales, and business needs realistic needs.

　　As a technology company with pursuit and vision, Microsoft will continue to rely on advanced technology, open platform, comprehensive services and a global partner ecosystem network, continue to invest in innovation, help Chinese enterprises accelerate the process of digital transformation, and cooperate with many Ecological partners jointly explore the market opportunities of digital transformation, and better serve enterprise customers in thousands of industries to achieve transformation and upgrading under the new normal.

Zhongxin Finance and Economics: It has become a global consensus on the fate of mankind by controlling carbon emissions, helping to cope with the climate crisis and achieving sustainable development.

China has also put forward the "dual carbon" goal. Combined with Microsoft's own business, what do you think multinational companies can do in terms of "dual carbon"?

Hou Yang:

Sustainable development is one of the most important challenges for mankind today.

　　As a pioneer in the digital economy and digital technology, Microsoft actively fulfills its corporate social responsibility and continues to invest in the field of sustainable development.

Microsoft announced its corporate carbon commitment to tackle the climate crisis: Commitment to become carbon negative by 2030; by 2050, to eliminate the sum of carbon emissions since the company was founded in 1975.

　　Since its establishment in China 30 years ago, Microsoft has also actively participated in and promoted the cause of sustainable development in China and jointly created a beautiful homeland.

The newly built Microsoft Smart Cloud Green Data Center decarbonizes from four "underlying logics"—IT operation efficiency, IT equipment efficiency, data center infrastructure efficiency and the use of renewable energy, bringing the green concept of the data center to the extreme.

　　The Microsoft Beijing Campus with a building area of ​​148,000 square meters will pass the comprehensive acceptance of the Haidian District Public Building Energy-Saving and Green Transformation Project in 2021, achieving an energy-saving rate of 27.9% and a cumulative saving of 25,027 tons compared to the carbon emissions issued by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment. .

　　In the future, Microsoft will continue to use cutting-edge technologies such as AI, IoT, and digital twins, and cooperate with industry partners to create more effective carbon emission solutions and contribute to a sustainable future for China.

Zhongxin Finance: In the past decade, China has continued to deepen reforms and improve the business environment.

Among the many policy measures, which aspects do you feel deeply about?

What are your suggestions?

Hou Yang:

The business environment has gradually become one of the most important factors influencing corporate investment decisions.

In recent years, China has promulgated a series of measures and bills to optimize the business environment, which has made remarkable progress in the optimization of the business environment in China.

The continuous improvement of China's business environment and the internationalization of the Chinese market have made it easier for foreign companies to enter the Chinese market, and the cooperation methods of Chinese and foreign companies will also be more internationalized, which will allow foreign companies to gain more space for development, and will also make China more Global appeal.

These will bring positive impetus to Microsoft's own layout in China and the transformation and upgrading of enterprises under the wave of digital transformation.

　　Settling in China for 30 years, Microsoft has always been optimistic about China's business environment and has full confidence in China's economic development prospects; while Microsoft continues to invest in China, it also helps foreign companies in China better through its own experience and technical support. conduct business.

Zhongxin Finance: What specific investment plans does Microsoft have in China in the future?

Can you give an introduction on the investment amount and time schedule?

Hou Yang:

Microsoft's confidence and determination to develop in China is reflected in our continuous investment in China. Against the background of the accelerated development of China's digital economy, we look forward to working with many customers and partners to ignite Chinese wisdom and expand Chinese opportunities. .

　　Among them, talent is the key to the sustainable development of Microsoft's future business, and we will continue to expand recruitment in China.

Microsoft will also continue to expand the scale of its business in China.

　　Microsoft has always attached great importance to the cultivation of digital skilled talents under the new normal, and provided talent guarantee for the digital economy era.

We are announcing that Foundation Technology Certification is free to all eligible students.

Upgrade the "Sunrise Project" again, and build a learning and employment platform for the Microsoft ecosystem by integrating existing ecological resources.

We are also preparing to join hands with the Chinese Institute of Electronics to jointly promote platform-based educational resources.

　　Microsoft is also planning a series of innovative measures to promote the ecological vitality cycle of partners.

The Microsoft Cloud Partner Program will work with development and service partners with industry solution capabilities to build in-depth applications and innovations based on Microsoft's product architecture, empowering the general manager of the cloud to expand the wide-area SME market and a series of global to local services. Partner ecological strategy and product update.

Zhongxin Finance and Economics: You mentioned that it is necessary to increase talent absorption in China. How does Microsoft China carry out talent training, reduce the threshold for talent entrepreneurship, and feed back Microsoft's business?

Hou Yang:

Under the new normal, enterprises' demand for technological innovation is also a requirement for talent development and training.

Based on this, Microsoft has launched a series of programs to empower innovative talents. We hope to use our own platform, resources and technical capabilities to empower more Chinese youth and achieve extraordinary achievements.

　　Microsoft actively promotes talent empowerment for different groups of people, helping Chinese teenagers to open up a new world of computer science through "One Hour of Programming", "Innovation Cup" provides opportunities and platforms for Chinese students to incubate ideas; An advanced system for the cultivation of technical and skilled innovative talents that meets demand;

　　The "Digital Skills Empowerment" project aims to create a localized digital skills training program; the "Weiguang Project" creates a more inclusive learning and employment environment for vocational college students and the disabled; "Digital Future • Women's Empowerment" The project helps more Chinese women in technology improve their digital skills and embrace the digital future.

　　In China, Microsoft has always been committed to the cultivation of talents in basic research.

Microsoft Asia Research Institute strongly supports the cultivation of localized talents in China through a series of cooperative projects, academic exchange activities, university scientific research cooperation and curriculum construction for students and young scholars; Microsoft (Asia) Internet Engineering Institute has cultivated a large number of outstanding software talents and innovative teams , as an incubator for new technologies, products and R&D teams.

　　The Microsoft Innovation Ecosystem Empowerment Platform, which Microsoft also cooperates with local governments, covers cloud computing, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technology fields. "Overweight" and inject innovative vitality into the accelerated development of the digital economy.

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