"A very fast car, and maybe even a mechanism that lets it fly." That's how LEGO Group President and CEO Niels B. Christiansen imagines the brand's future in China – bold, creative, and built for acceleration.

The vision feels right at home in Shanghai, where Christiansen arrived on July 4 after a 12-hour flight from Denmark. Within hours, he was riding "The BIG LEGO Coaster," a 530-meter roller-coaster that loops around Dada, the world's tallest LEGO minifigure, at the newly completed LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort.

"I really enjoyed it," he said with a grin.

The next day, he officially opened the LEGO Group's largest theme park globally – a key milestone in the brand's China strategy. Interest in the park has soared: Searches on travel site Qunar surged fivefold in June compared with May, and tickets for opening day sold out early. Despite temperatures climbing above 37 degrees Celsius, more than 7,500 visitors entered within the first hour.

Shortly after the ceremony, Christiansen sat down with Shanghai Daily for an exclusive interview, talking about why Shanghai matters to LEGO, how the brand is building a long-term ecosystem in China, and what keeps inspiring new chapters of LEGO's journey here.

Q: Is the establishment of LEGOLAND Shanghai part of your strategy to strengthen LEGO's presence in Shanghai and the wider Asia-Pacific region?

Christiansen: Shanghai, of course, being the city it is, is an optimal place to have something like this. It's been in our vision for a long time, and I'm really excited that it's now here. It'll be interesting to see what it does for the brand overall and how it impacts our broader business in China over time.

Q: With international theme parks like Shanghai Disneyland and Universal Beijing Resort already in the market, how will LEGOLAND differentiate itself?

Christiansen: The LEGO system in play allows imagination to go on forever. You can build a set, but you can also take it apart and rebuild something entirely different – and that makes it a very sustainable and creative experience. I think that's what really sets a LEGOLAND resort apart.

Of course, we have attractions. But you can also walk into MINILAND and see the Shanghai skyline recreated in amazing detail right in front of you. That moment can inspire a child to say, "I could build that," or "Maybe I could build my school," or something completely personal. That's the kind of impact we hope to achieve.

So it's more than just a fun theme park. It's a journey – one that helps kids grow, and that's something very important to us.

Q: What would you say like China means to the LEGO Group?

Christiansen: I'm really happy that the LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort is now open – it was the one missing piece in the full LEGO ecosystem in China. So now we are in China with all the different elements of the LEGO brand and I think an investment like the one in this resort kind of shows our commitment to the Chinese market.

Q: Despite global economic uncertainties, why has the LEGO Group remained so committed to China?

Christiansen: We have a strong long-term belief in China. With 200 million children, and with a country that has a long-term, very prosperous outlook, obviously we need to be here. A lot of the things that we learn and develop in China are also quite applicable in the rest of Asia – so it's also a spearhead in that sense. We're very committed to investing here.

Q: As you mentioned, the LEGO Group has built a full ecosystem in China. What are the next priorities?

Christiansen: I'm really excited and curious about the retail innovations happening in China right now – which, to some degree, is probably leading the world. We're going to try to tap into that and use it – of course in China, but also potentially learn from it for the rest of the world. So that, I think, would be one thing.

Q: Facing the complex global economic environment, has the LEGO Group been impacted with regards to the supply chain?

Christiansen: We've been able to maintain strong growth, which is really a privilege. So in that sense, I'd say we've managed the situation well, allowing us to continue investing and do stuff.

One key reason is our regionalized supply chain. We've made a strategic decision – also for sustainability reasons – to produce our products closer to where our consumers are, and closer to when they actually need them.

As a result, we've been able to maintain delivery throughout this period.

Q: Collectible toys – especially brands like Pop Mart – have surged in popularity in China and globally. Do you see collectibles becoming a strong competitor to building toys? And do you think LEGO toys need to become more collectible and trendier in the future?

Christiansen: We're seeing that collectible trend all over the world. We see it in Pop Mart in China, but we also see trading cards, and a lot of similar things where you buy something blind and get excited about what it is. It's a category that has historically appeared once in a while, then stayed popular for three or four years, then become a little less exciting for a period, and then re-emerged in a different setting. So as such, it's not new.

What we're seeing right now is that Pop Mart and collectibles are growing quite rapidly, but they're not taking away from the building or construction part of it. So, in that sense, it's kind of the LEGO Group and collectibles that are growing globally right now, which is a good thing.

There are elements of collectibles also in what we do. When you buy something and display it – like around Formula One and some of the things we have – it's always a trend we follow, and we want to be relevant for consumers if they like experiences like that.

We don't just do quick business. We want to do something sustainable over time, and figure out a way that when you see that collectible-type experience from the LEGO Group, hopefully you will think, "Yeah, but that's creative. That's the LEGO way of doing it."

So we are quite keen on staying close to our values and the way we do things. And for now, our part of the toy market is also growing pretty well. So we are following the trend, but I'm not too concerned that it will eat into our part of the market.

Q: What does China's opening-up mean to the LEGO Group, and do you have any plans for this year's CIIE (China International Import Export)?

Christiansen: We will be participating (in the CIIE) as a company for the eighth time this year. I think it's a good example of putting a policy in place for opening up and then actually putting action behind the words, doing things like that.

It's been an opportunity for us to launch some of those cultural products that we talked about and to get visibility for them. So I think it's important. It's something we will continue to lean into and see how we can use it.

It's also a way for us to have conversations about IP (intellectual property) rights and patent rights, and how those can be upheld. In our case, with companies that have been copying our products and infringing on our patents and rights, we've seen actually very good development and a lot of support from the government at different levels to say that if somebody has an IP right in China, then we will help make sure that it can be enforced.

So that all the innovation and investment behind acquiring rights will continue and be protected. I think that's part of why I'm so confident we will continue to invest here, because we also feel that the rights we are building and the brand we're building are being respected.