Borisenko Sofia, a Russian postgraduate student at Shanghai Jiaotong University, poses for a photo at the Swire Coca-Cola Kunshan new plant. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
A one-day sensory-driven tour of China's richest county-level city didn't just delight the palates of seven international visitors — it opened their eyes to how an economy can march with efficiency, timing, and cohesion.
Their trip, organized by China Daily, coincided with the inauguration of Swire Coca-Cola's new plant in Kunshan, East China's Jiangsu province on May 26. This gave the guests a firsthand look at the 2-billion-yuan project, where the plant's first four production lines are now capable of producing up to one million bottles a day.
"I live in Suzhou and I drink Coke Zero every day. It's amazing to know that they are being bottled here in Kunshan," said Sharma Mehak, a senior product designer at Microsoft, from India.
The speed of the plant's construction was equally impressive — it took less than three years to complete. Swire decided to settle in Kunshan mainly due to its superior business environment, comprehensive industrial support facilities, and innovation dynamic, according to Guy Bradley, chairman of Swire Pacific, at the opening ceremony.
