As golden autumn graces the Egret Island with its expansive blue skies and boundless seas, the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade officially opened in Xiamen. Serving as the most direct and vivid window into China's opening-up landscape, this year's fair has gathered global investors and business leaders, drawing the world's attention. Amid a complex international landscape marked by the rise of unilateralism, the surge of protectionism, and headwinds against globalization, the event once again signals to the world that China's resolve remains unchanged: to expand high-standard opening-up, to share development opportunities with the world, and to promote economic globalization towards greater openness, inclusiveness, shared benefits, balance, and win-win outcomes.
Boasting a vast exhibition space of up to 200,000 square meters, this year's fair has attracted over 1,200 government agencies and business delegations from 129 countries and regions, as well as 30 international organizations. Adhering to its permanent theme of "Expanding Two-way Investment to Promote Global Development," the event not only balances "bringing in" and "going global," but also builds a high-end cooperation platform focusing on core issues such as new quality productive forces, synergy in industrial and supply chains, and cross-border capital matchmaking. As the global industrial structure undergoes accelerated reshaping, new quality productive forces have become the core engine driving high-quality economic development. Keeping pace with the pulse of the times, the fair promotes transnational technology transfer and industrial cooperation by showcasing cutting-edge technologies and innovative achievements. Meanwhile, synergy in industrial and supply chains serves as the cornerstone for ensuring the stable operation of the global economy. By building a cross-border capital matchmaking platform, the fair has effectively alleviated the disruptions and bottlenecks facing global industrial and supply chains, thereby boosting confidence in the international market.
From project roadshows to cross-border bank-enterprise cooperation, the fair has long transcended the single function of a traditional investment promotion venue, evolving into a core hub for the mutual engagement between global capital and the Chinese market. In terms of "bringing in," China's advantages of a super-large market and its robust industrial support systems continue to attract high-quality global capital and advanced technologies. In terms of "going global," Chinese enterprises are participating in international competition with greater confidence, driving technologies, standards, and services to the world through outbound investment. The fair provides a seamless bridge for these two directions, transforming "opening-up" into actionable rules and bankable projects.
The successful hosting of the fair is underpinned by China's continuous advancement of high-standard opening-up policies. Since the beginning of this year, the newly revised Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China has come into effect, providing a more solid legal foundation for cross-border investment and trade. Meanwhile, the negative list for foreign investment access has been continuously streamlined, and the negative list for foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector has been entirely eliminated. In addition, the network of countries under the 240-hour transit visa-free policy has expanded to 57, and the 30-day visa-free entry policy for Hainan has been extended to 61 countries, while unilateral visa-free policies continue to yield dividends. This series of proactive opening-up measures has endowed China's opening-up with greater substance, higher quality, and a steadier pace.
Just as one must scale the highest peaks to witness the surging of mighty rivers, one must stand at the forefront of opening-up to feel the sweeping winds of progress. The 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade is not only a grand economic and trade event, but also a vivid portrayal of China's comprehensive, multi-level, and wide-ranging opening-up landscape. Facing a complex and volatile international environment, China always stands on the right side of history. It harnesses the power of cooperation through opening-up and gathers momentum for innovation through opening-up, ensuring that the fruits of development benefit the people of all countries more extensively and fairly, and continuously injecting certainty, stability, and positive energy into a world undergoing turbulence and transformation.