"As time flies, I remember arriving in China by plane in 1996 as if it were yesterday," said Joseph Desmond Kennedy, manufacturing director at Howden Hua Engineering Co in Weihai, Shandong province.

"Since then, I have lived in Weihai for 25 years."

Joseph Desmond Kennedy, manufacturing director at Howden Hua Engineering Co, takes part in an interview. [Photo/sdchina.com]

Weihai, where the Brit confesses to have spent two-thirds of his working life, has long been his "first hometown".

Kennedy said that when he first came to Shandong, he only needed to work for four months before he could return to Britain, but he was delighted by the pleasant climate, fresh air and delicious seafood in the coastal city.

"Four months turned into 25 years, and I will definitely live in the city for more years."

During his 25 years of working in Weihai, Kennedy has been to many cities and scenic spots in Shandong province, and met many Shandong locals. He thinks Shandong locals are very friendly and warm-hearted.

"Twenty-five years ago, our employee parking lot might only have two cars, but now there are hundreds of parking spaces that are full, which shows the living standard of Shandong people has been greatly improved," Kennedy said.

What impressed him most about Shandong is its complete infrastructure construction. "The road network, railway network and airports have all changed and improved a lot, many of which are world-leading," he added.

Joseph Desmond Kennedy (second from right) works with his colleagues. [Photo/whnews.cn]

Howden Hua Engineering Co was established in 1994 by the UK-based Howden Group in the Weihai Economic and Technological Development Zone.

During its development, the company has experienced the convenience and warmth brought by the local government's business environment optimization, and its enterprise scale has increased from $3 million to $450 million, Kennedy said.

In early 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Howden Hua Engineering Co experienced a brief shutdown.

"Considering our production needs, the Weihai government took the initiative to communicate with us and helped us coordinate epidemic prevention materials and formulate epidemic prevention rules. We stopped work for only two days and resumed production without affecting schedule at all," he noted.

Kennedy is also working to attract investments for Weihai, which boasts a vibrant economy and sound business environment.

Kennedy has promoted the establishment of a Spanish project with a total investment of 10 million euros ($11.29 million), the Clydeunion Pumps project with a total investment of 40 million yuan ($6.28 million), and the Circor pump project with a total investment of $9 million in Weihai.

"I will continue to do my best to introduce interested investors to the local government, whether they are from Europe, America or Southeast Asia. Weihai is a must-have investment destination for them."