Bayer's links with China go back to 1882, when it first began marketing dyes on the Chinese market.

Today, China is Bayer's second-largest single market in Asia, with sales of around US$1.6 billion in 2005. The company currently employs some 4,900 people in China and the country is also one of Bayer's main targets for global investment.

Bayer is represented in China by 19 companies across the group, including the subgroups Bayer CropScience, Bayer HealthCare and Bayer MaterialScience, as well as the service company Bayer Technology Services.

Ten of the companies have active production facilities or are in the process of establishing facilities.

The signing of a co-operation agreement between Bayer and the Ministry for Chemical Industry in 1993 laid the foundations for expanding the company's business activities in China. A year later, Bayer (China) Ltd was established as a holding company in Beijing to co-ordinate the transfer of technology and market development, and support the preparation and implementation of joint-venture projects. It was relocated to Shanghai at the end of 2003.

Bayer's commitment in China is evident not only in its investment in production facilities, but also by the company's active support for research and education. An example of its co-operative scientific research is an agreement signed in April 2001 with China's leading research institution, the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The aim of the co-operation was to increase academic exchanges in research and development and improve mutual access to research facilities.

Bayer also understands that maintaining a strong sense of social responsibility enhances its standing and value. It commits to causes in line with both its core business as well as values.

Sports and the environment are central in China, and Bayer has partnerships with the Special Olympics and the Soccer in a Box programme for schools in rural China.

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