HANNOVER, Germany, April 23 (Xinhua) — China has emerged as both a key market and a growing source of global industrial innovation, a senior executive of Schneider Electric has said.
China is emerging as a major engine of global industrial innovation, supported by its rapid technology adoption and a strong industrial ecosystem, Gwenaelle Huet, executive vice president of industrial automation at Schneider, told Xinhua on the sidelines of the Hannover Messe 2026, Germany’s flagship industrial trade fair.
“China is not only an important market but also increasingly a source of innovation,” Huet said, adding that innovations developed in China are increasingly being scaled and applied across global markets.
China’s progress in industrial digitalization and system-level innovation gives it a unique role in the global industrial transition, while its continued opening-up creates opportunities for multinational companies, according to Huet.
Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, has been operating in China for 39 years and has built a localized footprint covering research, manufacturing and supply chains.
China stands out for its speed in deploying industrial technologies and its strong supply chain coordination, and these factors make it one of the most dynamic markets globally, Huet added.
The company continues to expand its R&D investment in China, with more than 2,900 engineers working on areas such as energy management and industrial automation. A new generation of digital control products developed in China reflects closer integration between its local and global innovation systems, Huet said.
China is Schneider Electric’s second-largest market and is playing an increasingly important role across its manufacturing, research and innovation activities, Huet said, noting that the company is also exporting technologies developed in China to other markets as part of an “in China, for global” approach, helping upgrade its global product and solutions portfolio.
Looking ahead, she said China is accelerating efforts to modernize its industrial system and develop emerging sectors, particularly in new energy and advanced technologies, which will support long-term industrial transformation. ■
