Intensified efforts to help attract more FDI

China's intensified efforts to attract foreign investment and promote two-way investment cooperation will help global businesses better tap opportunities arising from the country's vast market and innovation-driven industrial upgrading, while underscoring its firm commitment to opening-up, officials and experts said.

Their remarks came ahead of the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade, one of the country's key platforms for promoting mutual investment.

Scheduled to take place Sept 8 to 11 in Xiamen, Fujian province, the fair is expected to connect capital with projects across borders, reinforcing China's role as both a major destination for — and source of — global investment, they added.

"The fair has so far drawn delegations from 123 countries and regions, with 60 set to take part as exhibitors," Ling Ji, vice-minister of commerce and deputy China international trade representative, said at a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

Finland and Saudi Arabia will serve as guest countries of honor at this year's fair, Ling said. Saudi Arabia will send a large economic delegation to CIFIT for the first time. Investment from the kingdom into China surged 343.7 percent year-on-year in the first seven months, Ling's ministry said.

Zhao Zenglian, vice-governor of Fujian province, said the exhibition area at this year's fair will cover 200,000 square meters. The fair will feature 14 specialized zones spanning three major sections — "Invest in China", "Chinese investment" and "International investment".

Foreign firms and business associations have also shown strong interest in attending, Ling said.

Foreign investors now look beyond merely labor and land costs, placing greater weight on China's industrial ecosystem, infrastructure, access to green power and computing capacity, he added.

The latest data demonstrate that shift. In the first seven months, the number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises in China rose 4.4 percent year-on-year to 37,711, while foreign direct investment in actual use totaled 438.33 billion yuan ($65.23 billion), with the pace of decline easing from a year earlier, said the Ministry of Commerce.

Notably, FDI in high-tech industries rose 32.7 percent year-on-year, accounting for more than 40 percent of the national total, Ling said.

In a world facing rising protectionism and geopolitical tensions, foreign enterprises are looking to deepen their investment in China as a hedge against external shocks, said Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

On outbound investment, Ling said China's outward FDI flows rose 11.1 percent year-on-year to $213.58 billion in 2025, while its total accumulated outward FDI value reached $3.4 trillion, ranking among the world's top three for the ninth consecutive year.

China will broaden economic and trade cooperation with other countries in the second half, expand trade in services and promote more balanced trade, according to a State Council report on the implementation of this year's plan for national economic and social development, delivered to the NPC Standing Committee for review on Tuesday.

The report also called for better outbound investment management, stronger support services for Chinese companies overseas, and further efforts to attract and make better use of foreign investment.

zhangchenxu@chinadaily.com.cn