On September 8, the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) grandly opened at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center. As a world-renowned national investment event, it embraces two-way opening-up to link global resources and build a win-win future together. The total exhibition area of this year's CIFIT has been expanded to 200,000 square meters. Focusing on the three core sections of "Invest in China," "Chinese Investment," and "International Investment," the fair comprehensively showcases China's high-standard opening-up policies, its ultra-large market advantages, and industrial innovation momentum, building a solid bridge for China to connect with the world and for the world to share the development opportunities of Chinese modernization.
Deepening engagement and scaling up investment in China have become a widespread consensus and firm choice for global investors. In the "Invest in China" section, a series of increased investments by foreign capital fully demonstrate the willingness and confidence of multinational corporations: Novartis announced an investment of over 3.3 billion RMB to support innovation and high-quality development in China's biopharmaceutical industry; Hitachi Energy will launch a strategic investment in China totaling approximately 300 million U.S. dollars to strengthen its global manufacturing footprint; and MKS-Atotech has initiated the second phase of expansion for its Guangzhou equipment manufacturing base, adding approximately 30,000 square meters to its existing facility with a total project investment of 25 million U.S. dollars. According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, from January to July this year, nearly 38,000 new foreign-invested enterprises were established in China, and over 5,200 foreign-invested enterprises increased their investments. Actual utilized foreign investment reached 438.33 billion RMB, of which foreign investment in high-tech industries increased by 32.7% year-on-year, accounting for over 40%. This year's CIFIT will host 16 "Invest in China" events focusing on key countries, key industries, and key platforms. Meanwhile, both the area of the financial zone and the number of participating institutions have doubled compared to last year. In terms of innovative momentum, the exhibition focuses on cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, the low-altitude economy, and the integration of the digital and real economies, showcasing innovative achievements including robotics, digital factories, cloud computing, and drones. International participation is more extensive than ever. For the first time, Finland and Saudi Arabia are designated as the dual "Guests of Honor," attracting registrations from over 1,200 government agencies and business delegations from 129 countries and regions, as well as 30 international organizations.
In the sections on Chinese enterprises going global and "Chinese Investment," the seamless integration of exhibition and business matching is the most prominent feature. Data shows that in 2025, China's outward foreign direct investment flow reached 213.58 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 11.1% year-on-year; the outward FDI stock reached 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars, ranking among the top three in the world for nine consecutive years, with its global share increasing to 7.4%. Outward FDI covers 18 sectors of the national economy. By the end of 2025, China had established 58,000 overseas enterprises in 189 countries and regions, creating an average of over 2 million jobs annually for host countries. This year, the Ministry of Commerce will host the inaugural International Cooperation Dialogue on Industrial and Supply Chains. The outbound investment section will showcase high-quality overseas projects and mature cross-border deployment models, while the overseas comprehensive service section will highlight the overseas comprehensive service hubs of key provinces and cities such as Shanghai, Shandong, and Shenzhen, as well as overseas economic and trade cooperation zones. As one of the Guests of Honor, Finland will showcase its industrial strengths focusing on three core tracks: the circular economy and energy transition, intelligent manufacturing and industrial digitalization, and healthy living and educational innovation. The "Hailian Guest Lounge: Entering CIFIT" roadshow and negotiation area will also host multiple promotional roadshows by region and theme, driving the conversion of exhibition traffic into outbound growth.
As the host province, Fujian has worked hand in hand with CIFIT over the years, with its commitment to high-standard opening-up becoming increasingly prominent. During the last CIFIT, Fujian signed a total of 338 foreign investment contract projects across the province. During the preparation for this year's fair, Fujian has planned 828 investment promotion projects, selected nearly 30 high-quality projects for batch roadshows during the event, compiled over 130 key financing projects to be presented to domestic and international financial institutions, and planned more than 30 industrial inspection tours focusing on emerging industry tracks. The Fujian delegation will launch a total of 36 high-quality economic and trade events, including the "Silk Road Maritime" International Cooperation Forum and the Maritime Silk Road Legal Service Zone Forum. This year's CIFIT has designated Guangdong and Qinghai as the dual "Guest Provinces of Honor" for the first time to promote coordinated regional development. Themed "Fresh Fujian, a Land of Investment Fortune," the Fujian Pavilion integrates and creates an immersive investment experience scene, showcasing the development achievements of the "555X" industrial clusters, and featuring a curated selection of over 130 physical exhibits in fields such as AI applications, brain-computer interfaces, new energy, and intelligent manufacturing. This year's CIFIT will undoubtedly once again echo the clarion call of the times to "expand two-way investment and jointly promote global development," bearing witness to China's commitment to advancing global openness and cooperation.