The 2025 China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) will showcase a major increase in foreign-investment-related activities, Ling Ji, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative, said at a press conference in Beijing on August 26. 

For the first time, the event will feature a special release conference focused on foreign investment. During this session, nine major public information products will be unveiled, including the debut of the China Foreign Investment Activity Index, according to Ling. 

“China is now both a major recipient of foreign investment and one of the world’s leading investors in foreign markets,” Ling said.   

He emphasized that China’s foreign investment growth, under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, a China-proposed strategy to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes, has maintained steady and robust progress, demonstrating remarkable resilience and vitality. 

According to the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), the country’s foreign investment reached a record $162.78 billion in 2024, or a 10.1-percent increase from 2023.  

Since 2012, China has consistently ranked in the top three countries for foreign investment flows, a streak that has now lasted 13 years. As of late 2024, China had established over 50,000 enterprises abroad, spanning 190 countries and regions, as per MOFCOM. 

The country’s foreign investment landscape has diversified, with investments now covering 18 key sectors of the national economy. The manufacturing, finance, information technology, wholesale and retail, leasing, and business services sectors collectively account for nearly 80 percent of the total investment. Emerging sectors, including green low-carbon energy, the digital economy, green minerals and the blue economy, are also witnessing steady growth.  

Between 2021 and 2024, China’s foreign investments facilitated nearly $1.2 trillion in goods imports and exports, contributing greatly to job creation, tax revenue and economic development in host countries.  

The 25th CIFIT will be held in Xiamen, Fujian Province in southeast China, on September 8-11. Since its launch in 1997, the CIFIT has become China’s only state-level exhibition dedicated to investment and has grown into one of the world’s most influential international investment events.  

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon  

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