By He Yin, People’s Daily
During a recent meeting with representatives of the international business community, Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed China’s unwavering commitment to advancing reform and opening up. He emphasized that China’s door will only open wider, and the policy of welcoming foreign investment has not changed and will not change.
Amid increasing global uncertainties, China’s steadfast dedication to open development has been widely regarded as an “oasis of certainty.”​
The journey of reform and opening up has unfolded as a narrative of mutual progress between China and the international community, a reality powerfully manifested through the thriving operations of foreign enterprises in China.
Currently, foreign investments in China span 20 industries and 115 sub-sectors, with cumulative establishment of over 1.24 million foreign-funded enterprises and total investment approaching $3 trillion.
Foreign investors have reaped substantial returns, with many expanding from single operations to diversified businesses, from localized ventures to nationwide presences, and from single factories to corporate conglomerates, experiencing exponential growth in both operational capacity and enterprise scale.
According to German media analyses, German businesses committed 5.7 billion euros ($6.23 billion) to China in 2024 alone, with the vast majority expressing their intent to maintain operations in the Chinese market.
Since the beginning of this year, a series of major foreign investment projects have been launched in China, with planned investments totaling 33 billion U.S. dollars. These developments demonstrate that China has been and will remain an ideal, safe, and promising investment destination for foreign businesses
China is steadily expanding institutional opening up with regard to rules, regulations, management, and standards, actively broadening and deepening its openness.
From the China-Maldives Free Trade Agreement coming into effect to the addition of 297 items to Hainan Free Trade Port’s zero-tariff list for raw and auxiliary materials; from the opening of the first wholly foreign-owned tertiary general hospital in Tianjin to the approval of the first batch of 13 foreign-invested enterprises to operate value-added telecommunications services—a series of open policies have been implemented, accelerating the flow of personnel, goods, and capital.
In the first two months of 2025, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a key logistics network connecting China’s western regions to global markets, saw a nearly 60 percent year-on-year increase in freight volume, while the China-Europe freight trains experienced a 15.4 percent growth in import and export cargo volume.
In the three months following the implementation of the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, the number of foreign entries at China’s ports surged by 34.9 percent year-on-year.​
Opening up is a distinctive feature of Chinese modernization and reflects China’s commitment to contributing to global modernization. By hosting events like the China International Import Expo, the China International Fair for Trade in Services, the China Import and Export Fair, and the China International Consumer Products Expo – and by partnering with over 150 countries and 30 international organizations under the Belt and Road Initiative, China continues to inject vitality into global economic development.
China’s new energy vehicles are at the forefront of global innovation, driving worldwide trends. The country’s green technologies are empowering international partners in their low-carbon transitions. Meanwhile, the “first-launch economy” within China’s domestic market is rapidly expanding, attracting foreign enterprises to increasingly conduct research and development (R&D) activities in the country..
The vast potential of China’s market, its dynamic innovation ecosystem, and its continuously optimized legal framework present enduring opportunities for global businesses to deepen their engagement in China. This collaborative momentum is fostering shared growth between China and the international community.
Masato Kanda, president of the Asian Development Bank, noted that amid increasing fragmentation in global trade, China’s commitment to deepening reforms and advancing high-level opening up not only sustains its own robust economic growth but also makes significant contributions to the development of Asia and the global economy..
Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council, remarked that China’s focus on “opening up” and “multilateralism” sends a strong signal of stability to all stakeholders.
True historical awareness and initiative lie not in predicting temporary tides but in becoming a force that shapes them. China firmly stands on the right side of history, resolutely promoting universally beneficial, inclusive economic globalization. It possesses the determination to move forward, the vitality for development, and the moral appeal.
Looking ahead, more stories of open cooperation will be written in China, and China’s confidence in open development will increasingly become the world’s confidence in economic growth.
