On January 20, Sarah Mann, British Consul General in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, led a delegation of UK enterprises to visit Xiamen, Fujian Province, meeting with the Organizing Committee of the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT), attending the Sino-British Business Roundtable and participating in discussions and business matchmaking events.

The visit underscored the growing role of Xiamen as a gateway to China. Held in the city every September, the CIFIT is the country's only national-level exhibition dedicated to investment promotion. It has become one of the city's most anticipated events and a key platform for international economic engagement.

At the 25th CIFIT in 2025, the UK was a guest country of honor and made its strongest presence ever, sending more than 300 representatives, including around 100 institutions and companies such as AstraZeneca and HSBC. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also sent a congratulatory letter.

Over four days, the 408-square-meter UK Pavilion welcomed more than 11,000 visitors and hosted over 30 business events. Chinese and British firms signed multiple commercial agreements and reached cooperation intentions totaling over 200 million pounds ($268.5 million), forging partnerships across sectors ranging from aviation and energy storage to healthcare and education.

"All of this shows that the CIFIT is a powerful platform where the UK and China genuinely meet in the middle—creating deeper, more stable and future-focused economic ties," Mann said. She praised the CIFIT as a key stage for showcasing the United Kingdom's openness and innovative dynamism, as well as a core forum for facilitating tangible business collaboration.

Yu Hao, Deputy Director General of the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce and Director of the Bureau of Convention and Exhibition of Xiamen, said the Chinese organizers are working closely with their British counterparts to discuss their participation in the 2026 CIFIT, particularly in key sectors like financial services and biopharmaceuticals. "The CIFIT serves as a vital platform for regular exchanges on investment and trade between China and the UK," he noted.

Mann emphasized that the CIFIT is more than a four-day event, describing it as "a year-round platform that keeps businesses connected and opportunities flowing." She said her visit with a UK tech delegation was part of the Consulate General's effort to connect British innovators with Xiamen's dynamic tech ecosystem.

Mann said she is genuinely excited about the CIFIT's potential. "The momentum is strong, international participation is growing, and I'm confident it will open up even more opportunities for Chinese and international businesses, including the UK," she said.

The CIFIT gives companies the confidence to invest, innovate and grow together "and 2026 will take that spirit to the next level," she continued.

An expanding circle

This deepening UK engagement reflects the CIFIT's steadily expanding international reach.

"The CIFIT, with its permanent theme of Further Expanding Bilateral Investment, Jointly Facilitating Global Development, has played a positive role in promoting the building of an open world economy and has become an effective platform for global investors to deepen practical cooperation," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a congratulatory letter to the fair's 25th edition.

As a major contributor to and anchor of stability for global economic growth, China will unswervingly expand high-level opening up, promote the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, continue to share its development opportunities with the world and inject more positive energy and certainty into global development, Xi said.

Launched in 1987 as a regional-level fair for international investment and trade, the CIFIT has grown into a signature national-level platform for investing in China, helping international investors better understand the country's economic strengths, business climate and policy landscape while attracting a growing number of high-quality foreign investment projects.

Over the past five editions, the total number of participants has increased by 45.8 percent compared with the previous five-year period, with visitors from 172 countries and regions and 35 international organizations—a widening global network that underscores rising international confidence in China's market.

The 25th CIFIT recorded a new high in international participation, welcoming delegations from 123 countries and regions and 11 international organizations. Among them, 51 countries and regions set up national pavilions, while cooperation with institutions such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies also reached new heights.

An evolving platform

Since China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, aiming to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes, in 2013, the CIFIT has facilitated the signing and implementation of a wide range of infrastructure and industrial cooperation projects through themed exhibitions, dialogues and project roadshows while steadily extending collaboration into emerging sectors such as the digital economy and green energy.

Its role has further expanded to capturing opportunities under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and strengthening economic and trade ties among BRICS countries, injecting fresh momentum into regional cooperation.

Structured around three core tracks—Invest in China, China Investment and International Investment—the CIFIT continues to evolve, refining its exhibition design and introducing themed zones that reflect shifting market dynamics and policy priorities, from advanced manufacturing and specialized enterprises to frontier sectors such as the low-altitude economy, or airborne economic activities below 1,000 meters, and AI.

Beyond the exhibition itself, other related events have also been held under the CIFIT framework. On January 21, the Hailian Reception Hall and CIFIT X Smart Manufacturing Investment Exchange event took place in the Xiamen Free Trade Zone, the first collaboration between the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce's investment service platform and the CIFIT's innovation brand, CIFIT X.

The event brought together nearly 100 participants from government agencies, investment institutions, technology enterprises and academia to explore opportunities in smart manufacturing and promote closer integration between industry and finance.

A project roadshow featured five high-growth technology firms from Chengdu in Sichuan Province, Xiamen, Suzhou in Jiangsu Province and Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, showcasing innovations ranging from smart voice chips and new-energy automation systems to naked-eye 3D display technology and AI-powered elderly care solutions.

In recent years, Xiamen has also established 12 overseas comprehensive service workstations, including one in the UK, providing end-to-end support for enterprises expanding abroad or attracting foreign investment. Together, these initiatives highlight the CIFIT's evolution from a four-day exhibition into a year-round platform connecting innovation, capital and global markets. 

(Reporting from Xiamen, Fujian Province)

(Printed Edition Title: The Gateway to Global Investment)

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

Comments to liqing@cicgamericas.com