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A shopper passes a Coca-Cola stand at a
Shanghai supermarket. The world's largest beverage maker yesterday said it
would pour $80 million to set up a new research center and a new
headquarters in China. (newsphoto)
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BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Coca Cola expects China
to be its largest market, said E. Neville Isdell, chairman and chief executive
officer of the Coca Cola Company.
Although China's economy has been growing rapidly for
more than two decades, Isdell noted that he had confidence in its further
growth. "China is currently our fourth largest market, but I hope it could
become No.1."
Coca-Cola built two new bottling factories in east
China's Jiangxi Province last July and in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region in August, bringing the total number of its factories in China
to 37.
A new complex including the Global Innovation and
Technology Center and the new Coca Cola China Headquarters, costing 80 million
U.S. dollars, broke ground in Shanghai, China's largest industrial center,
according to Isdell.
"The 2008 Olympic Games would be a great opportunity
for China," he said.
Coca Cola, the world's biggest soda supplier, now
owns a wide variety of soft drinks in China, ranging from mineral water and
fruit juice, to tea and coffee. It owns more than half of the shares in the soda
beverage market.
Entering China in 1928, Coca Cola became sponsor for
the Olympics in the same year and now helps the national selection of
torchbearers and escort runners for the Beijing Olympics.
Talking about the success in China, Isdell underlined
social responsibility and innovation.
As for innovation, Isdell cited the example of tea
drinks it developed for the Chinese market. "You should discover the new flavors
suitable for the market," he said.
Confidence is equally important. The two-meter-tall
chairman said that he had been drinking Coca Cola with his wife every day for
ages and the beverage was still their favorite.
"You should believe in what you sell and be totally
committed," he said.
