Many foreign companies have chosen to participate in the China International Import Expo (CIIE) repeatedly, Japan's Epson is one of them.

After making its debut at the CIIE last year, the electronics company will demonstrate its smart factory solutions this year.

CGTN sat down with Akihiro Fukaishi, president of Epson China, and talked about his expectation for this year's CIIE and how the company's strategy in China is echoing the government's call for environmental protection.

The following excerpts from an interview with Fukaishi have been edited for clarity and brevity.

CGTN: How did the CIIE impact Epson after its first appearance last year? What's your expectation for this year?

Fukaishi: It was very impressive and we got great results from CIIE last year. Especially, we had a lot of visitors from both the central and regional governments. It was also a big opportunity for Epson to show our solutions, and also get feedback from customers on how to improve.

This time around we are showing our environmental solutions and preparing to exhibit our smart factory solutions to follow the "xin jijian" (new infrastructure) policy direction from the Chinese government.

CGTN: How is Epson responding to global and Chinese calls for environmental protection?

Fukaishi: Epson announced its "Epson Environmental Vision 2050" this year. We declared our plan to invest 100 billion Japanese yen ($880 million) over the next 10 years in environmental campaign activities and R&D. We also committed to using renewable electric energy for the entire Epson global group by 2023 and help achieve the "1.5°C scenario" by 2030. By 2050, Epson will achieve a carbon-negative and underground-resource free status.

I really appreciate the Chinese government announcing its green development policy because it is also a big opportunity for Epson to help and contribute to the Chinese society and customers.

CGTN: What is Epson's strategy in China?

Fukaishi: The Chinese government's direction will have a big impact worldwide. I feel very strongly that China has very big potential. So, what kind of technology can we deliver to customers? And how can we enlarge Epson's technology? The key word is "co-work" with local companies.

One example is WeChat printing. There is currently no proper solution to print out WeChat content directly to a printer. Users have to transfer the data to a PC and then print it out. So, Epson developed this solution together with a local company. I hope this would bring help to customers who use WeChat printing.

Reporter: Guo Meiping

Videographer: Wu Jinjing

Video editor: Shi Chan

Cover image: Du Chenxin

Chief editor: Wang Mingyan