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Zhong NanFriday 21 November 2025 13:27 GMT
Employees work on the production line of a foreign-funded company in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province (WEI DONGSHENG / FOR CHINA DAILY)China’s drive to advance reform and development through higher-level opening-up — a priority for the country’s development over the next five years — will unlock fresh momentum for multinational companies and trading partners, business leaders and market watchers say.
They underlined the key roles of expanding opening-up at the institutional level, safeguarding the multilateral trading system and promoting broader international economic flows, saying these measures will help spur new growth drivers and enhance resilience.
Their comments came as the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development stressed the idea of “sharing opportunities and achieving common development with the rest of the world”.
A communique issued on 23 October after the conclusion of the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, during which participants discussed the recommendations, said China should take the initiative to open wider to the world, promote the innovative development of trade, create greater space for two-way investment collaboration and pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
Mei Xinyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, talked of China’s aims to sustain long-term growth momentum and contribute to global economic stability, saying that expanding institutional opening-up and promoting fairer, rules-based trade will not only attract quality foreign investment but also strengthen global confidence in China’s development path.
Encouraged by China’s latest push to advance high-standard opening-up, Poh-Yian Koh, president for China at FedEx Corp, said the company will remain a steadfast supporter of and advocate for global trade.
“We are confident that these policy directions will further expand market access, foster a more enabling business environment, and unlock broader opportunities for foreign businesses, all of which will continue to drive our growth in China,” Koh said.
FedEx operates more than 300 international flights to and from China each week, she said, and the country serves as one of the key engines of global trade and an integral part of the company’s global strategy.
Jens Eskelund, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, said it is a positive sign that the communique outlined the need for the Chinese government to see that new demand drives new supply.
“New supply helps create fresh demand and (ensures) that positive interactions are fostered between consumption and investment and between supply and demand.”
Joe Bao, executive vice-president for China of the Finnish multinational elevator maker Kone Corp, said his company is encouraged to see that the recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) strongly emphasise new urbanisation, with elevator modernisation playing a pivotal role in shaping smarter, more sustainable cities.
Kone completed its largest elevator modernisation project in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, this year, and has built a presence in more than 40 Chinese cities.
“Building on this momentum, we will increase our investment in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, one of China’s most dynamic city clusters,” Bao said. “This will strengthen local innovation, bring us closer to our customers and position us to capture the next wave of opportunities in China’s ongoing urban transformation.”
The Swiss technology company ABB Group said it will also extend its presence in China to support the country’s rapid energy transition and industrial electrification during the 15th Five-Year Plan, while drawing on locally developed innovation to deliver practical technical solutions to global markets.
Adrian Guggisberg, president of ABB’s distribution solutions division, said that as China has become the company’s global anchor for innovation, talent and technology export, ABB will expand both innovation and manufacturing capacity in the country, increasing investment in flexible and digital power solutions.
Chen Jianwei, a researcher in the Academy of China Open Economy Studies of the University of International Business and Economics, said China’s new round of high-level opening-up will further integrate global trade, capital and innovation with its vast domestic market, and unite more countries to strengthen collaboration in tackling shared economic challenges.
“The steady inflow of investment from developed and emerging economies also shows that global businesses continue to view China as a key growth engine and a stabilising force amid global uncertainty,” Chen said.
