During China’s annual two sessions, how the country will further enhance the quality and level of trade and investment cooperation as it advances high-standard opening-up has become a focus of international attention. At a time when the international landscape is growing more turbulent and the outlook for the global economy remains uncertain, China – a land capable of providing long-term stability – has become an oasis increasingly valued by the global business community.
A view of the Lujiazui area in Shanghai. (Photo: VCG)
In 2025, more than 70,000 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, up 19.1 percent year-on-year. Behind this data lies a simple yet profound logic: China has been, is, and will remain an ideal, safe and promising destination for foreign investment. Walking with China means walking with opportunities, believing in China means believing in tomorrow, and investing in China means investing in the future.
Stability brings long-term confidence. Schneider Electric, the French industrial giant, has been in the Chinese market for nearly four decades. From an initial team of just 10 employees, the company has now built five R&D centers, an AI innovation laboratory, and 30 factories and logistics centers in China. It is precisely the stability of China’s development that has enabled the company to plan with confidence and grow steadily.
In Schneider Electric’s story, we see a two-way pursuit of “long-termism”: China’s commitment to long-term development has deeply influenced how foreign-invested enterprises position themselves in the Chinese market. They closely follow China’s five-year plans, and look to policy guidance and industrial prospects for direction. “Investing in China means investing in the future” has become a routine practice for many businesses.
Stability also nurtures fertile ground for innovation. China is steadfastly advancing technological innovation and accelerating the development of new quality productive forces. As a result, an increasing number of foreign companies view China as a “gym” for strengthening their innovation capacity and competitiveness. German automaker Volkswagen, which has accompanied the rise of China’s automobile industry for decades, is now learning from each other and researching and innovating together with its Chinese partners. The golden partnership of “Chinese speed and German experience” and “Chinese ingenuity and German craftsmanship” is injecting strong momentum into the development of the automotive industry in the era of new-energy vehicles.
Stability also sustains entrepreneurial dreams. As China continues to expand opening-up, it attracts entrepreneurs and industrious individuals from around the world. Statistics show that in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province, more than 30,000 foreign businesspeople are active every day, and the number of registered foreign-invested business entities has exceeded 11,000. Yiwu is not only a “world supermarket,” but also an international community marked by diversity and integration.
Danish entrepreneur Simon Lichtenberg has been running a business in Shanghai for more than 30 years. He has actively participated in consultations organized by grassroots legislative outreach offices, offering suggestions on the draft revision of China’s Company Law. The fact that a foreign entrepreneur can take part in consultations on Chinese legislation is itself a vivid illustration – that the safe, friendly, open and inclusive social and cultural environment has strengthened the confidence of foreign investors to pursue their dreams in China.
The rising scale of investment and the upgrading of cooperation models reflect a deepening understanding among foreign investors of the opportunities China offers. From recognizing the vast potential of China’s enormous market to gaining a deeper appreciation of the institutional advantages behind China’s unique strengths, the country’s irreplaceability has become a consensus among the global business community.
The draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) proposes to coordinate efforts to attract foreign investment with outbound investment, foster new advantages in international trade and two-way investment cooperation, further step up efforts to attract and utilize foreign investment, and promote international industrial and investment cooperation. The pull of stable policies stems from vivid practice and will further unleash enormous development momentum.
Along the way, China and foreign-invested enterprises have jointly written stories of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, forming a successful chapter in the process of economic globalization. As the country enters the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), China will remain committed to openness and cooperation and to mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. It will steadily expand institutional opening-up, create a better environment and greater space for the development of foreign-funded enterprises, and continue to provide new opportunities to the world through its own new development.
In a world marked by intertwined change and turmoil, China is providing the global business community with a scarce resource – stability – to inject confidence and nurture the future of an open world economy.
This was compiled from an article published originally on the seventh page of the People’s Daily on March 11, 2026.