王毅：习近平将出席并主持“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛相关活动

Photo taken on July 17, 2025 shows the exhibition booth of the CITIC Group at the third China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing. (Photo by Tang Ke/People's Daily Online)

The third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE), themed "Connecting the World for a Shared Future," was recently concluded in Beijing, providing a dynamic platform for win-win cooperation between the Chinese and international business communities.

The five-day event attracted more than 650 companies and institutions from 75 countries and regions. They convened to identify potential partners, innovative solutions, practical application scenarios, and growth opportunities - sharing in the boundless opportunities presented by an open China.

In his keynote address at the CISCE opening ceremony, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang acclaimed China's supply chain as a "miracle," underscoring the country's indispensable role as an open and reliable partner in the global industrial network. International media noted that the expo reinforced China's image as a defender of free trade.

Amid mounting unilateralism and protectionism, China, as the world's second-largest economy, remains committed to advancing high-level opening up, contributing positive energy to building an open world economy. This path is not only rooted in China's development experience, but also aligned with the logic of the historical progress.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair once remarked that China's transformation through opening up is perhaps the most remarkable transition in human history. From the groundbreaking of the Shekou Industrial Zone in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province, to the expansive network of pilot free trade zones today, China has advanced reform and development through opening up, creating unprecedented social and economic progress.

A man experiences interactive games at the exhibition booth of Qualcomm at the third China International Supply Chain Expo, Beijing, July 17, 2025. (Photo by Tang Ke/People's Daily Online)

Despite growing global uncertainties, China's confidence and determination to open up remain unwavering. The Chinese national negative list for foreign investment has been steadily shortened, and the catalog of encouraged industries for foreign investment now includes 1,474 items. A package of 20 targeted policy measures has been introduced to stabilize foreign investment. Hainan Free Trade Port is set to begin independent customs operations and 77 pilot policies from the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone have been replicated nationwide.

China is implementing a more proactive and strategic approach to opening up, building a new system for higher-level open economy, and deepening engagement across more sectors and regions.

These measures are steadily translating into tangible momentum. In the first half of this year, despite external headwinds, China's total goods imports and exports grew by 2.9 percent year on year, with improvements in both volume and quality. From 2021 through May 2025, foreign direct investment into China totaled 4.7 trillion yuan ($655.07 billion), surpassing the total amount recorded during the entire 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020). Global enterprises are demonstrating greater confidence in expanding their presence in the Chinese market.

An open China continues to energize global development. Accounting for nearly 30 percent of global economic growth, China is committed to a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, remaining the world's largest trader in goods and a major trading partner for more than 150 countries and regions. The country has inked 23 free trade agreements with 30 countries and regions, and extended zero-tariff treatment to cover 100 percent of tariff lines for all 53 African countries that have diplomatic ties with it. Meanwhile, its visa-free and transit visa-free policies now cover 47 and 55 countries, respectively - broadening the avenues for shared development.

China's unwavering commitment to high-level opening up holds global significance. It not only creates opportunities but also boosts international confidence at a time of uncertainty. As skepticism grows over the sustainability of openness amid rising protectionism, China's development story serves as a compelling response. In just a few decades, China has completed a process of industrialization that took developed countries centuries to achieve - proving that openness is not an option, but a necessity on the path to development.

Faced with the challenges posed by protectionism, China is breaking new ground through higher-level opening up, demonstrating that embracing globalization, not retreating into isolation, is key to building resilience and driving development.

Openness is the foundation of economic resilience and the engine of sustainable development. China will continue pursuing open cooperation, injecting vitality into global growth, and contributing momentum to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

A visitor poses for a picture with humanoid robots at the exhibition booth of NVIDIA at the third China International Supply Chain Expo, Beijing, July 17, 2025. (Photo by Tang Ke/People's Daily Online)