Beijing, Shandong, Shanghai – my trip to China

I’m just back from two great trips, first to Beijing, Shandong and then to Shanghai. I’ve spoken a lot about my optimism for long-term growth in China, but there’s no substitute for being on the ground and speaking to colleagues and clients about their experiences.

I found a great deal of confidence, especially in China’s ‘new economy’ sectors where 渣打银行 is strongest – electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, for example. It was a great pleasure to give welcoming remarks at the opening of Standard Chartered Securities (China) Limited office, China’s first wholly foreign-owned securities company. This will help us channel further external investment into China as the government continues its ‘opening up’ plan.

Climate change was a key topic at this year’s China Development Forum, which has become a fixture in my calendar for engagement with Chinese officials, clients and policy experts. I spoke about the urgent need to scale up carbon markets at a national and international level, which will have a critical role in incentivising businesses to reduce their carbon emissions.

My visit to Pony.ai, a leading autonomous driving company, was a great example of how this investment could be put to good use. It was fascinating to see how they’re solving two big technological challenges at once – the mechanical and AI requirements for self-driving cars, and the transition to an all-EV fleet.

At Shandong Heavy Industry I got to sit in the front seat, this time on one of their transport trucks, and talk about how their vehicles are improving logistics for firms across China.

In Shanghai, we held a great session with our Board and over 500 colleagues joining in person and online - we shared views and insights on our local expertise and advantages as a super connector bank, as well as the opportunities and challenges brought by China’s opening up.

And of course, no trip would be complete without buying souvenirs on the way home! In this case, it was some traditional Chinese cakes, bought using the Alipay app. It’s a good reminder of how digital finance has already changed the way we do the simple things in our day-to-day lives, and how much potential there is for us to use technology to make finance even easier for our clients and customers.

Many thanks to everyone who gave me such a warm welcome during my visit, I can’t wait to be back!