BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Global materials science giant Corning has pledged to continue investing in the Chinese market as it doubles down on its long-term confidence in the world's second-largest economy.

The company plans to inject an additional 500 million U.S. dollars into China this year, bringing its total investment in the country to 9.5 billion U.S. dollars over its 45 years of local operations.

"The investment is inseparable from the thriving development of the Chinese market, and our continued investment is also driven by our confidence in China," Lin Chunmei, president and general manager of Corning Greater China, told Xinhua in an interview during the third China International Supply Chain Expo held last week, which Corning has been a consistent participant since the expo's launch in 2023.

China's sound industrial chain, as well as its continued opening up, ranging from improving the business environment for foreign firms to protecting intellectual property, has been crucial in shoring up confidence, she highlighted.

The company boasts deep roots in China, where it now runs 21 factories, employs over 6,000 people, and generates roughly 30 percent of Corning's global revenue, making China its largest market outside the United States.

"If I have to use one word to describe the Chinese market, then it's 'important.' For two words, it will be 'very important,'" Lin said, citing the company's global senior executives' regular visits to China in recent years.

The Chinese market's importance to Corning is expected to grow in the future, Lin noted, as the company, whose core businesses span from display technologies, optical communications, mobile consumer electronics, automotive, to life sciences, sees growing business opportunities generated by China's innovation drive to promote development of new quality productive forces.

Amid China's artificial intelligence (AI) boom and computing capacity boost, the company plans to localize the production of high-end optical fibers in Shanghai, responding to the need for denser, faster data transmission in AI data centers, where fiber requirements are much higher than those in traditional facilities, according to Lin.

Meanwhile, Corning's only global automotive glass solutions plant, based in Hefei, will see expanded investment, alongside continued spending on emission control systems to support China's implementation of stricter emission standards.

Notably, Corning's display technologies division in China now has three Gen 10.5 liquid crystal display glass plants, which can supply the growing demand for large-screen TVs for increasingly affluent Chinese families.

Lin highlighted the synergy between Corning's business growth and China's industrial chain development. "Our highly localized operation is driven by the sound industrial chain here, which is part of the Chinese economy's resilience."

Regarding the Chinese economy, Lin stated that the company adopts a long-term approach and remains optimistic in the long run.

"For Corning's investments here, we value China's economic sustainability, which hinges on customers' growth potential, its business environment and industrial chain," Lin said. "Thus, our commitment to continued investment in China stays unchanged, as evidenced by our actions."