The Shenzhen Stock Exchange Global Investor Conference 2025, held in the southern Chinese city from Monday to Tuesday, attracted global experts who highlighted that the development of China's new quality productive forces is offering new opportunities for investors worldwide.
Themed on "New Quality Productive Forces: New Opportunities in China - An Open and Innovative Shenzhen Market", the event featured discussions on new investment opportunities in China brought by the development of new quality productive forces, which are driving the country's high-quality economic growth, according to experts.
Sci-tech innovations from China, exemplified by platforms like DeepSeek, are reshaping global perceptions of China's scientific and technological capabilities, attracting increasing attention from international investors.
"I think China's an excellent place to invest in. There are lots of opportunities, the market is growing. There's a very large investment in research and development, which means that there's a capability of skilled people, but also the infrastructure, the laboratories, the factories needed for investment," said Ian Goldin, former president of the World Bank.
At the conference, the China Securities Regulatory Commission revealed that in 2024, total research and development expenditure among listed companies in China in the real economy sectors amounted to 1.6 trillion yuan (about 222 billion U.S. dollars), a year-on-year increase of 3.1 percent. Over 800 listed companies recorded research and development intensity above 10 percent.
China's significant investment in research and development has given it a first-mover advantage in industrial upgrading, AI applications, and humanoid robot development, experts emphasized.
"China's industrial chains have rejuvenated. Take AI for example, China may be the only country in the world with a relatively complete industrial chain, from GPU chips to software and hardware applications, and ultimately to households of ordinary people. This integrated ecosystem is boosting productivity across sectors and exemplifies how new quality productive forces are driving the rejuvenation of China's industries," said Xing Ziqiang, chief China economist at Morgan Stanley.
China's new quality productive forces are going outward, with its export products going ever higher-end in terms of science and technology, as China's new energy vehicles (NEVs) are getting more and more popular in international markets.
"Notable changes have taken place in recent years thanks to our NEVs. In Europe, say Germany, people would tell you Chinese NEVs are cool. Our high-end manufacturing is now visible, tangible, and available overseas, which has better boosted confidence in China's leading enterprises and industrial supply chains," said Shen Liang, director of Allianz Global Investors.
New quality productive forces refers to innovation-driven advanced productivity freed from traditional economic growth models, features high technology, high efficiency, and high quality.
New quality productive forces bring opportunities for global investors: experts
