The Japanese beverage company Suntory continues to aim for growth in China despite the geopolitical risks involved.

In an exclusive interview with Nikkei Asia on the sidelines of Nikkei's Global Management Dialogue, which was held on Tuesday and Wednesday, Suntory's CEO, Takeshi Niinami, said that the nation is one with which the company hopes to forge close ties. The Chinese market continues to be attractive due to its encouraging pace.

According to Niinami, China's economy is expanding on that scale and at a rate of 4%, with the possibility of 3.5% growth depending on the situation. Despite having a lower per capita income, China's GDP is four times larger than Japan's. He continued by saying that since it was expanding at a tremendous rate, we would want to take advantage of this market at all costs.

He said Suntory needs to carefully consider how much to invest in production facilities, though, and he acknowledged the geopolitical risks.

Geopolitics, which includes the state of affairs in the Middle East, the US election, and China's economy, is another name for inflation, according to Niinami, which will be crucial to business moving forward.

The CEO noted that although our economy and world geopolitics are inextricably linked, Japan is on the verge of a new era in which every business needs to become more aware of the outside world.

The current state of global affairs, according to Niinami, is both exciting and unsettling.

Niinami claims that Suntory is collecting data on food and sustainability technology through its extensive global networks.