China News Service, Beijing, November 19th. Title: Shi Xueli, President of Shanghaojia: Seize the opportunity of the "14th Five-Year Plan" and deepen China's global integration

  China News Agency reporter Wu Kan

  "Overseas Chinese businessmen and overseas Chinese enterprises are facing huge development opportunities during the '14th Five-Year Plan' period. Shanghaojia will continue to pay attention to and invest in the Chinese market, and at the same time integrate global resources to further release its development potential." Xueli said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Agency recently.

  Shanghaojia Group was founded in Manila, Philippines in 1966. It operates a trading business. In 1974, it launched the first generation of simple snacks.

In 1993, the chairman of the group and the Filipino Chinese businessman Shi Gongqi set up a factory in Shanghai, and Shanghaojia also became one of the earliest overseas Chinese-funded enterprises to invest in China.

  "It has always been my father's wish to return to China to invest. He visited China many times since the beginning of reform and opening up." Shi Xueli said that 30 years ago, Shanghai Pudong was still an agricultural area, and Shanghaojia cooperated with Shanghai Shrimp Cracker Factory to establish there The first company.

  In 1996, the 22-year-old Shi Xueli followed his father's order from the Philippines to China and entered Shanghaojia. He started as a frontline salesperson and slowly took over the company's business.

"After the launch of the best products, orders flew in from all over the country and were overwhelmed. We have always adhered to the quality of the products, established a good market foundation, and developed product sales step by step."

  Since its roots in China for 27 years, as China continues to deepen its reform and opening up process, Shanghaojia has also undergone earth-shaking changes. It has grown from a snack food company to a diversified multinational food group.

  "Now we have 13 wholly-owned companies across the country. Under the'Belt and Road' initiative, the company has further expanded overseas markets and has established 28 companies in 9 countries including South Africa and India." Shi Xueli said.

  In Shi Xueli's view, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China will further expand its opening up, and the role of overseas Chinese enterprises as a bridge connecting China and the world will become more prominent. Overseas Chinese businessmen should give full play to their advantages in learning from China and the West, integrating China and foreign countries, and grasping the "going out" Great opportunity.

  "In the future, Shanghaojia will speed up its deployment in overseas markets and set up product lines in more countries." Shi Xueli said that the company's projects in Bangladesh and Uzbekistan were originally planned to be put into operation this year, but due to the impact of the global new crown pneumonia epidemic, progress has slowed. It will accelerate after the epidemic.

  Over the years, Shanghaojia has actively promoted the people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and China and promoted the communication between the two peoples.

Through the good matchmaking, the establishment of many friendly provinces between the Philippines and China was facilitated.

  Shi Xueli said that now that China is becoming stronger and stronger, more and more Filipino young people are beginning to be interested in China and plan to study and work in China.

"I hope that through our efforts, more Filipino people can understand and like China, and hope that the Philippines and China will be friendly for a long time."

  During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, persistence in innovation is at the core of China's modernization drive.

Shi Xueli believes that the future development of overseas Chinese enterprises also needs innovation to drive.

  "Today, China's modern food industry has changed from the'factory model' to the'market age', with more refined market channels and the emergence of e-commerce channels." Shi Xueli said that in the face of fierce competition, Shanghaojia will deepen its market share , Constantly innovate, concentrate on polishing quality products to bond consumers.

  He said that he plans to create the concept of "healthy snack foods" by using more abundant natural raw materials and whole grains; to invest more research and development costs and equipment costs to strengthen food safety; and to further deploy Internet sales channels.

  When it comes to the future, Shi Xueli is optimistic that he has absolute confidence in the Chinese market.

"We will uphold our original aspirations, inherit the spirit of our fathers, and continue to actively devote ourselves and enthusiastically support China's development." (End)