Foreign firms in China remain resilient despite global trade headwinds: customs data

China

Foreign firms in China remain resilient despite global trade headwinds: customs data

2025-07-14 16:18 Last Updated At：19:07

Foreign-funded enterprises in China demonstrated strong resilience in the first half of 2025, maintaining steady growth in trade despite a complex and volatile global economic landscape, according to official data released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Monday.

"Foreign-funded enterprises in China recorded imports and exports worth 6.32 trillion yuan (about 881.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the January-June period, up 2.4 percent year on year, in maintaining the positive growth momentum for five consecutive quarters," GAC Deputy Director Wang Lingjun said at a press conference in Beijing.

"Despite the complex and volatile global trade situation, foreign businesses in China remained committed to deepening their roots in the China market with undiminished confidence," he said.

"Among the major manufacturing sectors in which foreign-invested enterprises operate, exports of specialized equipment, electrical machinery and electronic equipment all achieved relatively rapid growth. In recent years, guided by policies to stabilize foreign investment, foreign-funded enterprises in China have expanded from single locations to multiple hubs, achieving a more balanced regional presence. In the first half of the year, foreign-funded firms accounted for 30 percent of the imports and exports in east China, 25.1 percent in the central and western regions, and 26.4 percent in the northeast," Wang said.

Despite global investment fluctuations, China remains a preferred destination for foreign capital due to its stable policies and long-term growth potential, according to Wang.

"The number of foreign-invested enterprises with tangible achievements in foreign trade reached 75,000 in the first half of the year, the highest for the same period since 2021. These firms accelerated production capacity investment, with their imports of high-end equipment rising 3.2 percent year on year. Focusing on long-term development, foreign-funded enterprises in China also ramped up innovation and research and development efforts, with their imports of bonded research and development supplies increasing by 52.1 percent over the same period of last year, accounting for over 70 percent of the national total，" he said.

China's predictable policy environment and strategic vision offer unique advantages in uncertain times, Wang underlined, expressing the confidence that foreign-funded businesses will achieve greater success in the China market.

ROK president calls for learning lesson from anti-aggression history

The Republic of Korea (ROK) and China should cherish the historical experience of jointly resisting aggression and continue to work together for a prosperous future, said ROK President Lee Jae Myung.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Lee will pay a state visit to China from Jan 4 to 7. It will be Lee's first visit to China since he took office last year.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Seoul on Wednesday, Lee said that humanity must learn from the past to prevent the tragedy of war from repeating itself.

"While pursuing their own national interests to the fullest extent, countries must not harm the national interests of others, but should coexist peacefully. The act of invading other countries and massacring their people for one's own benefit must never be repeated. History of humanity often repeats itself, therefore we must learn from the past. In this regard, I believe the historical experience of ROK and China in resisting aggression and fighting together is invaluable. Of course, while historical experience is important, we cannot remain stuck in the past. For a better future for the people of both countries, we need to continuously explore possibilities for working together towards the future," said the president.