China's unwavering opening-up efforts unlock global opportunities

A fully loaded China-Europe freight train departs from the China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation Base in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu province, Feb. 6. (People's Daily Online/Wang Chun)

China has unveiled a 2025 action plan to stabilize foreign investment, outlining 20 policy initiatives across four strategic priorities: phased expansion of voluntary opening up, enhanced investment facilitation, functional upgrades to open-economy platforms, and service system optimization.

International observers have largely interpreted the move as reinforcing China's commitment to high-level opening-up.

Opening up is a fundamental national policy of China and a defining feature of Chinese modernization. It profoundly enriches the path and unlocks new frontiers of Chinese modernization.

This trajectory builds on over four decades of calibrated openness – from the special economic zones in the early days of reform and opening up to today's network of pilot free trade zones and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Each major decision aligns with the trend of economic globalization and shapes new models of international cooperation.

Since the start of the new era, China has pursued more proactive opening up policies, achieving historic milestones and transformations. The country has advanced a broader agenda of opening up across more areas and in greater depth.

People buy duty-free commodities at the Haikou International Duty-Free Shopping Complex developed by China Duty Free Group, Feb. 3. (People's Daily Online/Su Bikun)

According to the Global Soft Power Index 2025 released by British consultancy Brand Finance, China has ranked first globally for four consecutive years in "easy to do business in and with" and "future growth potential."

Through continuous opening up, China's economy has become deeply integrated with the global economy, serving as a major engine for global growth. Over the past five years, China has contributed around 30 percent to global economic growth, being the largest driver of global development.

Research by the International Monetary Fund indicated that China's economic growth has a positive spillover effect -- when China's growth rate rises by 1 percentage point, growth in other economies increases by 0.3 percentage points on average.

China's strategic pursuit of high-level economic openness is transforming its colossal domestic market into a catalyst for global growth. Recent corporate expansions underscore this shift: Tesla has commenced operations at its inaugural overseas energy storage Megafactory in Shanghai; Siemens Healthineers is developing a cutting-edge medical equipment research and production base in Shenzhen; while Yum China aims to increase its Chinese mainland outlets to 20,000 by 2026.

Notably, starting from Dec. 1, 2024, China grants zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines to all the least developed countries that have diplomatic relations with China, triggering an 18.1 percent surge in imports from these economies during that month. This policy framework not only enhances trade reciprocity but systematically integrates emerging markets into value chains.

A groundbreaking ceremony is held for a new manufacturing and research facility of Siemens Healthineers in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province, Jan. 16. (Photo from Siemens Healthineers)

China now serves as a major trading partner for more than 150 countries and regions globally, cementing its position as a pivotal node in global commerce. This trajectory of openness positions China's growth as an accelerant for worldwide economic advancement.

The nation's commitment to elevated openness transcends conventional economic policies, encompassing the sharing of developmental frameworks, institutional innovations, and transnational public goods. Amid a global climate of escalating unilateralism and protectionism, China persists as a stabilizing force—methodically deepening international collaboration through its domestic progress while championing structural reforms to fortify an inclusive global economic architecture.

The BRI, conceived as a global public good, originated from China's drive for enhanced openness in its contemporary era. It has catalyzed deeper global economic cooperation and reciprocal growth, garnering international acclaim as a "new model of economic globalization."

By pursuing high-level opening up, China not only disseminates the dividends of its progress but also assumes a proactive role in recalibrating global governance frameworks—advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. This approach underscores an alignment of national development with multilateral imperatives, reinforcing China's role in shaping equitable international systems.

Spanning policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity, China is sharing the ethos of open development and win-win collaboration across nations. This multidimensional engagement not only helps other developing countries achieve common prosperity but also advocates for an equal and orderly multipolar world—advancing a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.