China is transforming itself from being a "Made in China" exporter of products to a "Designed in China" producer. Keynote speakers at The World Design Development Summit, held in Beijing on Saturday, shared their views on Chinese design and designers.

David Kester, former chief executive of the Design Council, United Kingdom:

There are 185,000 designers in the UK, who, in both in-house and outsourcing ways, contribute 11 billion pounds (122.5 billion yuan) to the GDP (China has 300,000 designers who generate a yearly output value of 30 billion yuan). We believe that design makes change possible and designers are the heart of business.

We welcome the process of "Designed in China" and we hope it goes faster and stays healthy. My suggestion is that designers should be more aware of the collaboration between different sectors of the business. They are not working on their own, but need to communicate with engineers, manufacturers, marketing people, publicity departments and others.

Design also promotes new approaches to society and public services. It is very important for the government not only to tell the public what design is, but also inspire them to design.

We hope the example of the UK’s design sector in many socially useful ways, such as healthcare and the aging population, can be of help to our Chinese counterparts.

Peter Zec, initiator of the Red Dot Design award:

Chinese design is on the rise in terms of the Red Dot award. More than 100 Chinese designers have won prizes within the last two years. It proves that Chinese designers are narrowing the gap between them and the rest of the world, while more Chinese manufacturers and companies have realized the significant roles of design and designers in the success of their businesses and industry as a whole. 
                                                                                                  Source: China Daily