Maximilian Foerst, president of Zeiss China, speaks at the commencement ceremony for the construction of an R&D and manufacturing center in Suzhou Industrial Park. [Photo/Pudong Fabu]

Zeiss China recently began construction of a research and development (R&D) and manufacturing center in Suzhou Industrial Park in Suzhou, which is located in East China's Jiangsu province.

It is the first time that the German lens company has purchased land for its own project in China, which indicates the company's ambition to localize development in the country, local media outlets reported.

The Suzhou facility plans to specialize in the R&D and production of Zeiss' industrial quality, research microscopes, operation microscopes, and ophthalmological devices.

The project is expected to help Zeiss build a more sustainable industrial system with stronger resilience in the Yangtze River Delta region, according to Maximilian Foerst, president of Zeiss China.

He added that Zeiss plans to expand its investment in the Chinese market and further promote the localization and innovation strategy to help bolster the upgrading of "Made in China" and the high-quality development of the big health industry.

Zeiss entered the Chinese market in 1957 and China has become the company's largest market after 65 years of development.

Zeiss China is headquartered in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone along with its sales service headquarters, application services and training center, and an industrial instrument factory, and the group's first innovative R&D center outside of Germany has been established in Pudong.

In addition, the company has developed a logistics and storage center in Pudong that is able to support the entire domestic market.