China adopts slate of measures to foster more open, investment-friendly economy

China has reaffirmed its commitment to fostering a more open and investment-friendly economy with the release of the 2025 Action Plan for Stabilizing and Promoting Foreign Investment.

Under the action plan, the country will intensify efforts to strengthen the role of national economic and technological development zones, optimize national service industry pilot programs, and promote various platforms for opening up to attract more foreign investment.

An official from the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said that China will optimize its 232 national economic and technological development zones, which, despite covering less than 0.3 percent of the country's land area, contribute 10 percent of its GDP and over one-fifth of paid-in foreign investment.

Additionally, China will enhance national service industry pilot demonstrations and implement upgrading strategies for free trade zones to attract more foreign investment. In 2024, the 11 provinces and cities participating in service sector opening-up initiatives attracted 41.3 billion U.S. dollars in foreign investment, accounting for 50.2 percent of the sector's total.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) also emphasized efforts to attract foreign investment in key sectors, including advanced manufacturing, high-tech industries, and energy conservation.

Later this year, China will release an updated national catalog on encouraging foreign investment and expanding opportunities in central and western regions, particularly in basic manufacturing, applied technology, and consumer goods.

China reaffirmed these commitments in the recently released action plan and during this year's "two sessions".

Recent surveys also confirm this positive trend. According to a poll by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China released in February this year, 58 percent of its member companies plan to increase or maintain their investment in China this year. Meanwhile, a report from the American Chamber of Commerce in China indicates that 53 percent of surveyed U.S. companies plan to expand their investment in China in 2025.

China adopts slate of measures to foster more open, investment-friendly economy

Multiple states across Brazil have been gripped by an intense heatwave in recent days, prompting local authorities to issue weather alerts and urging residents to take precautions, with the high temperatures forecast to continue.

Southeastern states including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais have been experiencing the most extreme heat, with temperatures climbing to a sweltering high of 40.8 degrees Celsius in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.

Authorities across the country have been sending out weather warnings, with residents being advised to avoid prolonged outdoor activities and medics reminding people to take measures to ensure they stay hydrated.

"[You have to] drink plenty of water, use a fan. There is not much you can do to escape it, really. It is absurdly hot," said Ana Flavia, a local resident in Sao Paulo.

"With this change in temperature and the excessive heat, we see a lot of cases of dehydration," said Tiago Foliate Pitirilo, a doctor from the city's Hospital Sao Camilo.

The sweltering heat may be around for a while more, according to experts, who say higher water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean mean Brazil is likely to face more frequent heatwaves this year.

"The ocean forecast indicates that in the second half of the year we will have a warmer Pacific Ocean. This allows us to infer that the number of heat waves in 2026 may be higher than last year, when the Pacific Ocean was cooler," said Marecelo Seluchi, a meteorologist from Brazil's National Center for Monitoring and Alerts for Natural Disasters (CEMADEN).

Brazil in midst of heatwave with more extreme temperatures expected