China's economic growth is driving foreign firms to expand, as highlighted by key insights from business leaders at the 2025 Beijing CBD Forum, which concluded Friday.
The event gathered participants from over 40 countries, with business leaders voicing optimism in Chinese market despite global economic challenges. Among the attendees were leaders of multinational corporations, representatives of global organizations, business associations, and delegates from more than 20 Asian cities, according to organizers.
John McLean, senior advisor to the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK and chairman of the China-Britain Business Development Center, emphasized China's promise as a market poised for solid recovery, echoing optimism shared at the forum.
"Chinese market is a land of opportunity. You should come and get on a plane now. Seeing is believing. Last night I went to the British embassy and I was speaking to a lot of British businesses. The flavor in the room was positive. They do see this kind of, you know, life has started to change and that's people on the ground here. Positive infectiousness has to be brought to other British companies," he said.
Rani Jarkas, chairman of the board of Cedrus Group, praised China's impressive innovation capabilities, further reinforcing the nation's appeal for foreign enterprises.
"We're very committed to investments in innovative technologies and life sciences. We believe that Chinese innovation is one of the best in the world. Chinese companies are becoming better and better and with low valuations. So, we think that the opportunity to be here in Beijing is very unique. So we are committed to adding more to our investments in this area of life sciences," he said.
Tony Osude, chief market delivery officer of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, described China as the "second home" for his company, underscoring its importance in their global strategy.
"So, RICS, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, has been in China for a number of years, nearly three decades. So, for us, China is our second home. I think the opening-up is really quite important. It also creates opportunities for businesses and people in the UK to visit China, as tourists or as business people," he said.
In the past five years, nearly 60,000 new businesses have been established in the Beijing central business district (CBD), including about 16,000 foreign enterprises. The area now has approximately 216,000 operating entities, making up 8 percent of the city's total, with tax revenue reaching 125.19 billion yuan (17.4 billion U.S. dollars) last year.
To support these enterprises, the Beijing CBD has established an investment promotion service center that provides "one-stop" assistance from investment attraction to implementation.
"There's a lot of financial incentives policies, fast approvals for new companies and talent retention and so forth. So, we're very encouraged by these policies, and we think that these policies will even get better with time. And today is a good example of the CBD Forum, how government and business can talk and interact and resolve any issues that need to be resolved," said Jarkas.
2025 Beijing CBD Forum highlights global confidence in China's economic growth
