Global investors, business leaders gather in Xiamen for int'l investment, trade fair

The 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) opened in the coastal city of Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province on Tuesday, drawing international exhibitors and delegations to connect global investors with key Chinese markets.

The four-day fair has brought together over 1,200 government agencies and business delegations from 129 countries and regions, which includes 48 of the world's top 50 economies by GDP, while 30 international organizations are also participating.

This year's event marks the biggest ever edition of the long-running trade fair, with the total exhibition space expanding to some 200,000 square meters. It also features 14 specialized exhibition zones, showcasing investment opportunities in various promising sectors including China's "new quality productive forces", an economic strategy which stresses high-tech innovation as a new growth driver, as well as the "Silk Road Maritime" initiative, which looks to resurrect ancient sea trading routes.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Zhou Zuyi, secretary of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, said Fujian will step up efforts to establish new mechanisms for a more open economy.

"We will keep expanding institutional opening-up and actively aligning with high-standard global trade rules. We're seizing the opportunity from the pilot program to expand services trade. We're also upgrading our free trade zones, focusing on tech innovation, green development, and digital economy. All to build a more open economy, faster," Zhou said.

This year's edition has also introduced a "dual guest countries of honor" mechanism for the first time, with Finland and Saudi Arabia jointly assuming the role. Two Chinese guest provinces have also been named, with the southern Guangdong and the northwestern Qinghai Province given the honor. The fair is structured around three core thematic sections, namely "Invest in China," "China's Outbound Investment," and "International Investment," and will also see more than 40 key investment promotion events, along with nearly 100 supporting activities being held.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Pedro Manuel Moreno, the Acting Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), emphasized that increasing investment in key strategic fields is essential, saying the trade fair offers a valuable platform for exchanges.

"Strategic sectors, like AI, semiconductors, critical minerals, or clean energy now account for almost half of the value of all new investment projects. This is why I believe gatherings like CIFIT matter more than ever, because the central challenge today is no longer only to mobilize more capital. It is to connect capital to the right projects, in the right places," he said.

First launched in 1997, the CIFIT, organized by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, has become an important platform for boosting investment and facilitating global development.

Global investors, business leaders gather in Xiamen for int'l investment, trade fair

Multiple Spanish trade unions launched a nationwide 24-hour general strike on Wednesday, disrupting the normal operations of multiple industries, including public transportation, logistics, production and commerce.

At Madrid's Atocha Railway Station, one of the country's most important rail hubs, passenger flows were noticeably thinner than usual as the strike took its toll.

Jonathan, a passenger who traveled to Madrid from Valladolid, said the disruption had upended his plans for the day.

"The impact is huge. I came here by train from Valladolid. I was planning to go back to Valladolid today, but all the trains were canceled. Now there is no way for me to return," he said.

Raul, another traveler, said long-distance bus and train services had all been suspended, with only one train still running under the minimum service guarantee.

"The long-distance bus services have been canceled, and the train services have also been canceled. All transport has been affected. Only this train is still running because it falls within the minimum service guarantee. We'll see if it actually departs," he said.

Beyond the railways, urban public transport and the hospitality sector were also hit.

Daniel, who works in the restaurant industry, said business had already been hurt by the recent rail accident, and that the latest walkouts had made things worse.

"On the one hand, there is the strike. On the other, we are still feeling the impact of the rail accident. Our customer flow has dropped by 50 percent. And now with the strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday, the situation has become even more serious. The business this week has not been good at all, as the drop in customers has been very steep," he said.

On October 28, 2026, an AVE high-speed train collided into a stationary Iryo high-speed train in the municipality of Los Yébenes close to the Urda passing and stabling point on the Madrid–Seville high-speed rail line, killing 69 people and injuring over 200 more. Both trains were traveling from Atocha station in Madrid to Santa Justa station in Seville, the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain.

Nationwide general strike disrupts transport, commerce activities in Spain