Shanghai's municipal government recently certified 34 regional headquarters and 17 R&D centers of multinational corporations, including two in Jiading district.
Johnson Fitness Equipment (Shanghai) Co Ltd, one of the two, was certified as the regional headquarters. Johnson is a specialized sports and fitness equipment group which operates in over 400 proprietary retail channels globally, with its products and services reaching over 100 countries worldwide.
"This certification is not only an affirmation of Johnson's sustained development in the Chinese mainland for over 20 years, but also marks a new starting point for Johnson China in optimizing and integrating its internal resources and leveraging the advantages of regional headquarters policies to achieve the group's business objectives," said a representative of Johnson, who further expressed the company's commitment to increasing investment in the Chinese mainland, expanding their range of products and services to provide high-quality sports and health solutions to more consumers.
Additionally, Gestamp's automotive engineering company in Shanghai was awarded the certificate for a foreign-funded R&D center. Gestamp Group is a multinational corporation specializing in the design, development, and manufacturing of automotive metal components, with business operations spanning over 20 countries and regions and more than 100 production bases and 13 R&D centers worldwide.
Since entering the Chinese market in 2007, Gestamp has established production bases in locations such as Kunshan, Beijing, and Tianjin, becoming a significant supplier to the majority of domestic automobile manufacturers. Gestamp's R&D center in Shanghai focuses on vehicle bodies and chassis in China and is dedicated to offering the most advanced materials, product and technology research and design, and services to Chinese customers, as well as collaborating with Chinese OEMs on projects.
The event on Feb 27 also saw the signing of 63 foreign investment project agreements, including six in Jiading, and the announcement of 10 global partners of foreign investment promotion, two of which were recommended by Jiading.
The projects focus on Jiading's key industries, including automotive, electronic information, and digital economy, with a total investment of approximately $137 million.
In recent years, Jiading has been working to create a world-class business environment, leading to an increasingly-global and diversified "circle of friends" in foreign investment, thus accelerating the aggregation of headquarters economy. Currently, Jiading district is home to 26 multinational corporation regional headquarters and 44 foreign-funded R&D centers recognized at the municipal level.