On September 5, the Nanjing Municipal People's Government and A.O. Smith (China) Investment Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation memorandum. Nanjing Party Secretary Han Liming and Mayor Chen Zhichang met with Kevin Wheeler, Chairman of A.O. Smith, and his delegation.

A.O. Smith is a multinational company with a history of 150 years and is one of North America's largest manufacturers of residential and commercial water heaters, water purification systems, and boilers. The company's China headquarters and three domestic factories are all located in Nanjing. According to the memorandum, Nanjing and A.O. Smith will collaborate to accelerate the cultivation and development of new production forces. The two parties will engage in multi-channel, multi-field, and multi-level cooperation around the "one headquarters, two bases" in Nanjing, jointly building a more open industrial innovation ecosystem. This aims to promote the clustering of upstream and downstream projects, technologies, and talents along related industry chains, making Nanjing a demonstration area for smart home appliances and smart home industries.

Han Liming and Chen Zhichang welcomed Kevin Wheeler and his delegation to Nanjing and congratulated A.O. Smith on the 150th anniversary of its founding.

Han Liming and Chen Zhichang noted that over the past 30 years, A.O. Smith has remained deeply rooted in Nanjing, successfully expanding its market in China. Its positive development has contributed significantly to Nanjing's industrial growth, openness, and innovation, serving as a vivid example of the vitality of local U.S.-China relations.

Currently, Nanjing is fully implementing the central government's reform initiatives and the national "two new" policies, actively promoting the trade-in of household appliances and expanding consumer scenarios.

They hope that A.O. Smith will seize the policy opportunities, further increase its investment in Nanjing, promote product and production line upgrades, attract more upstream and downstream companies, and explore new areas for cooperation.

Nanjing will deepen reforms in foreign investment and management systems and continue to provide enterprises with a first-class business environment that is market-oriented and rule-of-law-based, fully supporting enterprises to grow stronger.

Kevin Wheeler spoke highly of Nanjing's business environment and expressed gratitude for the long-standing support Nanjing has provided to the company's development.

He said that China's high-quality development and reform and opening-up are providing new opportunities for the company. A.O. Smith is confident in the Chinese market and will continue to invest in and deepen its operations in Nanjing, further enhancing the company's technological innovation and core competitiveness. The company aims to introduce more products that meet the needs of Chinese consumers and are welcomed by the market, achieving mutual benefits with various partners.

City officials of Nanjing Dai Huajie and Ji Tiejun attended the meeting.