China’s rapid advances in artificial intelligence, electric mobility, robotics and other high-tech industries are drawing growing attention from the next generation of business leaders around the world, with Deutsche Bank bringing a group of young entrepreneurs to Beijing to see the country’s innovation ecosystem firsthand.
Marco Pagliara, head of private bank emerging markets at Deutsche Bank, led next-generation entrepreneurs from emerging markets, Europe and the Middle East on a recent visit to Beijing, where they explored China’s AI ecosystem, visited industries at the forefront of technological development and met with Chinese entrepreneurs to learn how they are turning technological advances into new business models.
The visit was part of Deutsche Bank’s NextGen program, which has run for more than 20 years and provides business leaders of the future with access to educational events, thought-leadership activities and networking opportunities. In August, Beijing became the host city for the bank’s Wealth Management NextGen APAC Program 2026.
“It’s an exceptional opportunity to come to China at this stage of the AI revolution, to see what the country is doing in terms of infrastructure investment in an ecosystem that supports AI evolution and transformation,” said Pagliara.
The program was designed to expose the young leaders to areas where China has emerged as a global force, including AI, electric mobility, power infrastructure, robotics and humanoid robotics, and to give them a firsthand sense of the level of innovation in the country.
For Pagliara, the trip was also an opportunity to examine investment opportunities and consider how international investors can gain exposure to cutting-edge Chinese technologies.
“I think what is special about China is the combination between long-term strategic planning and the ecosystem that supports technological development, which prepares fertile ground for the private sector to develop and translate that ecosystem into innovation that impacts business models and the lives of people on a day-to-day basis,” he said.
Concerted activity, together with financial and business planning, provides a clearly defined framework and stable guidance, while an economic system that rewards performance and efficiency helps identify some of the strongest and most successful business models, which can then become highly competitive internationally, he said.
As a European, Pagliara said he has seen firsthand how much more competitive Chinese products have become on the global stage.
“There are many examples across a range of industries, where we look with respect and admiration at what has been built here in China. As competitors, we find it very challenging to face the efficiency and the quality of the products that have been developed here. So I think we have a lot to learn,” he said.
Foreign perceptions of Chinese manufacturing have also evolved, he said. China was once primarily associated with low costs and manufacturing efficiency, but its competitive advantage is increasingly based on quality and product features that are not readily available in other markets.
That shift is evident in industries ranging from automobiles and power generation to consumer electronics, and is beginning to extend into sectors such as fashion and apparel, which historically received less attention from Chinese manufacturers. An increasing number of Chinese brands are gaining international recognition for quality rather than simply for cost competitiveness or efficiency, he said.
jiangxueqing@chinadaily.com.cn