International business leaders at the ongoing 2025 China Development Forum (CDF) have underscored the willingness to expand their presence in China, highlighting the country's market attractiveness and growth potential.
The two-day CDF opened in Beijing on Sunday, under the theme "Unleashing Development Momentum for Stable Growth of Global Economy", attracting over 100 foreign guests, including 86 official representatives of multinational companies from 21 countries.
Oliver Zipse, CEO of German carmaker BMW, praised China's comprehensive approach to new energy vehicle (NEV) development, stressing that his company seeks to get involved.
"I think the NEV policy in China here -- consisting, perhaps, of long-range plug-in hybrids, range extenders and also hydrogen -- is, I think, the best whole set-up for developing the NEV policy. BMW sold last year 100,000 NEV vehicles here in China. So we are participating in the market. And at the end of this year, we will introduce our new platform, it's called the Neue Klasse. It's a pure electric car, which is partially developed here in China, and we're looking forward to that," he said.
Shane Tedjarati, vice chairman of Prologis Global, a world-leading industrial real estate company headquartered in San Francisco, also spoke highly of China's role in global supply chains.
"Obviously a lot of global companies are in China and we serve them globally everywhere and we want to serve them seamlessly here. Increasingly, China's consumer economy is growing, so a lot of Chinese companies have their supply chain needs and we help them with their supply chain needs here," he said.
Industry-leading global firms stay bullish on China, eye greater opportunities
China will take further steps to expand high-standard opening-up and create a new landscape of win-win cooperation in 2026, which marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said in a recent interview with China Media Group.
Wang said opening up and cooperation for mutual benefit are integral to Chinese modernization. This year, China will actively expand voluntary opening up.
The country will steadily open up such areas as value-added telecommunications, biotechnology and wholly foreign-owned hospitals, while accelerating comprehensive pilot and demonstration programs for expanded opening-up in the services sector, he noted.
"We will expand the scope and regions of unilateral opening-up and ensure the implementation of zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines for all African countries that have diplomatic relations with China. We will vigorously promote the effective implementation of policies for special customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port, further enhance the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, optimize the regional layout and coverage of pilot free trade zones, and support these zones in carrying out more robust institutional opening-up trials in areas such as market access, environmental standards and government procurement, so as to better leverage their role as comprehensive pilot platforms for reform and opening-up," said Wang.
Wang said China will promote the orderly planning of cross-border industrial and supply chains.
Efforts will be made to deepen economic and trade cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, enhance integration and connectivity across production and supply chains, and encourage cooperation in areas including green development, the digital economy, green minerals, new infrastructure and new energy so as to help build global production and supply chain partnerships that are equal, inclusive and constructive, he noted.
"We will give play to the platform role of overseas economic and trade cooperation zones, expand overseas marketing networks and explore international markets through outward investment, achieve mutual promotion between investment and trade, and advance the integrated development of trade and investment. We will also improve the overseas comprehensive service system and the national-level overseas comprehensive service platform," said the minister.
In addition, China will participate constructively in global economic governance, according to the minister.
In 2026, Wang said, China will pursue flexible and pragmatic approaches to negotiate trade and investment agreements with more willing countries and regions, while strengthening economic and trade cooperation under multilateral frameworks such as BRICS, G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, to further promote mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
China to expand high-standard opening-up to foster win-win cooperation: minister
