Photo shows an aerial view of the Sanya International Duty Free City in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province. (Photo/People's Daily Online)

An open China is an opportunity for the world. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), China will build new systems for a higher-level open economy, develop the digital economy, and harness artificial intelligence to drive high-quality industrial development. This is not just a blueprint for progress; it's a roadmap of opportunities for foreign enterprises.

"As a data-driven foreign enterprise, Dun & Bradstreet closely follows and looks forward to China's continued deepening of high-level opening-up during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the robust growth of the digital economy, and China's sci-tech innovations leading the world," Wu Guangyu, president of Dun & Bradstreet China, told People's Daily Online.

Since the launch of the island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), south China's Hainan Province, in December 2025, more Chinese companies have been joining the global trade network using Dun & Bradstreet's D-U-N-S identification numbers, Wu said.

"Leveraging the Hainan FTP, Global CHA, a global enterprise information platform we launched, has achieved encouraging results, with its user base surpassing 100,000," Wu added.

The story of Dun & Bradstreet offers a microcosm of how multinational companies are finding new growth in China. In recent years, China has steadily eased market access for foreign investors, actively aligned with high-standard international trade and economic rules, and expanded institutional opening-up.

"At the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China made clear its commitment to reform of the institutional framework for promoting foreign investment and creation of new advantages to attract foreign investment, signaling a more transparent, fair, and predictable business environment," Anna An, president of Henkel Greater China, told People's Daily Online.

She noted that Henkel has participated in the China International Import Expo (CIIE) for seven years, witnessing firsthand how China's market continues to open up.

"We have seen firsthand China's tangible progress in customs facilitation and infrastructure connectivity, which has significantly improved cross-border logistics efficiency and reinforced our confidence in expanding our presence in the Chinese market," said Wu Dongming, CEO for China at DHL Express.

With trade growth fueled by Belt and Road cooperation and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), China's commitment to win-win cooperation is not only opening up new market opportunities but also driving strong logistics demand by boosting connectivity across Europe, Southeast Asia, and beyond, according to Wu.

Openness is a hallmark of Chinese modernization. It is reflected in a series of concrete moves: the action plan to stabilize foreign investment in 2025, the launch of island-wide special customs operations at the Hainan FTP, and the 2025 version of the Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment.

It is also found in the designation of upholding openness and promoting win-win cooperation across multiple sectors as a key economic priority for 2026. The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan further underscores China's commitment to high-level opening-up, sending a clear, stable, and long-term signal to the world about its development trajectory.

"Openness has always been a cornerstone for businesses in China," said Liu Yunfeng, executive vice president of Volkswagen Group China. In recent years, China has steadily eased foreign investment restrictions and strengthened intellectual property protection in new energy and intelligent connected vehicles. China's opening-up is advancing to higher levels, creating vast space for foreign companies to play a deeper role in driving the upgrading of the manufacturing sector and industrial innovation.

Lin Chunmei, vice president of Corning Incorporated and president and general manager of Corning Greater China, told People's Daily Online that China's opening-up measures provide a strong institutional foundation for cooperation, strengthen industrial chain coordination to create value, and help Chinese-made products reach global markets.