Stefan Oelrich, member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and head of its pharmaceuticals division, said China is no longer viewed merely as a vast market, but as a critical source of innovation for multinationals seeking to remain globally competitive. Oelrich sees China "not only as one of our most important markets, but increasingly as an innovation engine feeding directly into our global pipeline.

　　"If we want to remain at the forefront of our industry, we need to be where innovation happens. China is clearly one of those places, and an increasingly important one," he said.

　　zhangzhouxiang@chinadaily.com.cn