JIAXING, China, Dec. 31, 2025 — On December 10, 2025, at a high-level symposium centered on high-standard opening-up and high-quality development held in Jiaxing, China, a foreign entrepreneur garnered substantial attention by sharing his “Jiaxing story” in fluent Chinese.
That individual was Simon Lichtenberg, a Danish entrepreneur, an Honorary Citizen of Shanghai, and a recommender of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) for the eighth time.
The symposium not only functioned as a platform to review and展望 Jiaxing’s opening-up accomplishments but also presented an opportunity for Lichtenberg—widely recognized as a “China hand”—to reaffirm the profound integration of his business activities with the city.
“Many folks know me as a ‘Shanghai son-in-law,’ yet Jiaxing is the strategic nucleus of my business in China,” Lichtenberg stated while defining his association with the city. His core manufacturing base—the global manufacturing and R&D hub for intelligent healthy home products of Trayton Group—is situated in Jiaxing. The modern factory, spanning 120,000 square meters, was constructed and operationalized within merely 18 months, transitioning from a barren plot to a fully functional facility. In Lichtenberg’s perspective, this frequently cited “Jiaxing speed” exemplifies China’s continuously improving business environment and the efficient collaboration between local governments and enterprises.
This trust was established far earlier. After amassing his “first pot of gold” in China during the 1990s, Lichtenberg commenced endeavoring to transform his trading experience into physical manufacturing. Lured by the Yangtze River Delta’s comprehensive industrial chains and strategic location, he ultimately opted for Jiaxing due to its clear-cut planning, practical policies, and efficient government services—placing the core manufacturing operations vital to his company’s future in the city. Presently, the Jiaxing base is not only a production hub supplying products to over 1,500 outlets globally but also a vanguard for R&D innovation and the practice of green and intelligent manufacturing within the group.
“Opting for Jiaxing was not a fluke. It bridges Shanghai’s international vision with the robust industrial foundation of the Yangtze River Delta hinterland,” Lichtenberg noted. He asserted that the success of the Jiaxing facility instills the confidence enabling his company’s in-depth participation in the CIIE and its capability to showcase the upgrading might of “Made in China” to the world.
As a longstanding friend of the CIIE, Lichtenberg shared that among the “China opportunities” he has championed during his eight terms as a recommender, an indispensable segment lies in cities such as Jiaxing—cities that exhibit development resilience, impetus for industrial upgrading, and a sincere dedication to openness.
At the symposium, speaking also in his capacity as the founding national chairman of the Danish Chamber of Commerce in China, Lichtenberg highlighted that Jiaxing serves as an excellent window to observe China’s high-quality development and continuous opening-up. He has witnessed and facilitated the strategic evolution of foreign investment—including numerous Nordic companies—from regarding China solely as a sales market to establishing manufacturing bases and further to setting up R&D centers. “Behind this transformation lies the long-term certainty furnished by continuously optimized industrial ecosystems and government services in many Chinese cities, including Jiaxing,” he emphasized.
From arriving in China in 1993 with borrowed capital to commencing a business, and then anchoring his company’s core operations in Jiaxing, Lichtenberg’s over 30-year odyssey in China has frequently been characterized as a “modern fairy tale.” His remarks in Jiaxing added the most significant footnote to this tale of trust: long-term investment and shared growth with a place forge the strongest bond between foreign enterprises and the Chinese market.
As the Yangtze River Delta integration progresses toward higher quality development, the narrative of Simon Lichtenberg and Jiaxing is anticipated to continue unfurling with new chapters ahead.
A short video highlighting Lichtenberg’s reflections on his China journey and his insights from Jiaxing can be viewed here:
Contact Person: Qian Jixia
Email: jiccjiaxing@gmail.com
