Buildings in Beijing CBD are seen under blue sky on Sunday. Photo: Li Lei/GT
China on Monday convened a global trade and investment promotion summit in Beijing with participation by hundreds of representatives from over 30 countries and regions and 170 foreign entities, in another major push by the world's second-largest economy to boost cooperation amid growing geopolitical and trade tensions.
At the summit, hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), representatives of international organizations, multinational executives and foreign business groups commended China's critical role in promoting global cooperation and major contribution to global economic development, especially as a rising tide of protectionism in some advanced economies seriously hinders global trade and investment.
While some Western officials and media outlets have stepped up smearing China's economy and even sought to crack down on emerging Chinese industries, foreign businesses remain confident in the prospect of the Chinese economy and are committed to further expanding in the Chinese market, many business leaders from Asia, Europe and North America told the Global Times on Monday.
Promoting cooperation
The Global Trade and Investment Promotion Summit of 2024 was held in Beijing on Monday. In this third edition, the summit is another major platform to bring together Chinese and foreign business leaders to boost trade and investment cooperation. This year's event was attended by more than 700 representatives, including over 300 representatives from 39 countries and regions and 170 foreign organizations, according to the CCPIT.
All 18 foreign business groups in China were also represented at the summit, and more than 20 senior executives from multinational corporations, including Dell, Tesla, IBM and Boeing attended the summit, the organizer said.
Addressing the opening ceremony on Monday, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said that China will continuously expand high-level opening-up and share the development dividends with the world. A steadily growing, increasingly open Chinese economy will definitely add strong impetus to the world economy, Han said.
Among the major outcomes of the summit is the launch of the Beijing Initiative of the Global Trade and Investment Promotion Summit of 2024. The initiative called for global cooperation in five aspects, including accelerating the world economic recovery, maintaining the stability and smooth flow of industrial and supply chains, embracing the transformative force of artificial intelligence, and fostering momentum for green and low-carbon development.
"We welcome business communities from more countries to join the initiative, enrich its content, explore new forms and areas of cooperation, and work together for a stronger, greener and healthier global development," read the initiative shared with the Global Times on Monday.
The summit is emblematic of China's intensifying efforts and leadership role in promoting global cooperation in trade and investment, foreign representatives said at the summit, pointing to various Chinese initiatives and platforms for cooperation, including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China International Import Expo.
Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China, commended China's major role in helping stabilize global supply chains amid increasing levels of conflicts and major disruptions to supply chains.
"We need China's leadership in the global landscape to promote more integration, more movement of good supplies and people so that we actually see a very integrated global business community," Chatterjee said on the sidelines of the summit on Monday.
China has remained steadfast in advancing high-level opening-up. This year's Government Work Report included a slew of opening-up measures, including lifting all market access restrictions on foreign investment in manufacturing and reducing market access restrictions in services sectors such as telecommunications and healthcare.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on April 30 also said that reform and opening up is an effective instrument for the cause of the Party and the people to make great strides in keeping up with the times.
In addition to opening its doors to foreign businesses, China has also hosted many high-level events to promote cooperation, including the China Development Forumin March, which attracted hundreds of global CEOs, the Boao Forum for Asia, which was attended by many global leaders and business executives. Last month, China also kicked off the 135th China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong, and the 4th China International Consumer Products Expo concluded in South China's Hainan, which yielded many business deals.
"As the world is experiencing some economic difficulties, the approach from China has been very positive. It's trying to reduce protectionism globally," Edward Allison-Wright, member of Executive Committee and Board of Directors at World Trade Centers Association, said on the sidelines of the summit on Monday, noting that the world can share opportunities in China through initiatives such as the BRI.
In stark contrast, some advanced economies, particularly the US, have been turning more protectionist. US officials and media outlets have been relentlessly smearing China's economic prospects and sought to suppress China's leading industries with absurd claims such as "overcapacity," with their latest targets being China's new-energy industries like electric cars. Chinese officials have sharply criticized such groundless accusations as pretext for more protectionist crackdown measures.
Unwavering commitment
However, despite the relentless smear campaign against the Chinese economy, foreign business leaders remain upbeat about China's growth prospects and are committed to operating and expanding in the Chinese market.
Simon Lichtenberg, Danish Chamber of Commerce in China's National Founding Chairman & Founder and CEO of Trayton Group, said while Western media's "different" portrayal of China sometimes makes it hard for companies to make the right decision, businesses are still coming to China.
"I think they want to [keep investing in China] and most of them will continue or even expand," Lichtenberg told the Global Times at the sidelines of the summit on Monday, noting that the Chinese market is absolutely important for Danish businesses, as China contributed one-third of global growth last year.
In addition to China's vast market scale, the steady economic recovery so far this year also helped lift confidence of foreign businesses in the Chinese economic prospects for this year and beyond.
"We were really pleased with Q1 and the growth that was higher than expected. So I think if we see a continuity of that growth, that's a very positive sign. And we see more and more Canadian businesses coming [to China]," David Perez-Des Rosiers, Director of Beijing Chapter of Canada China Business Council, told the Global Times on Monday.
Despite downward pressure, China's GDP expanded by 5.3 percent in the first quarter of 2024, well above market expectations. Such a strong recovery momentum has continued into April, with a rising number of indicators pointing to steady rebound. China's imports and exports roared back to growth in April after a significant drop in March.
"China's economy has very good fundamentals," Tan Sri Datuk Ter Leong Yap, Independent Non-Executive Chairman of Malaysia Venture Capital Management Berhad and Executive Chairman of Sunsuria Group, told the Global Times on Monday, adding that China's economic development has great prospects and the company sees this as a good window of opportunities to come and invest in China.
Although some US officials are seeking to crack down on China's new energy industries such as electric vehicles, foreign businesses actually see the rise of Chinese industries as an opportunity for cooperation.
"There are a lot of opportunities in the Chinese market and there are also a lot of opportunities for Chinese companies in the Italian market like in the electric vehicle and other sectors," Andrea Croci, Board Member of China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, told the Global Times on Monday, adding that these Chinese industries are "very appealing. So I am quite confident."
中国于周一在北京举办了全球贸易与投资促进峰会，有来自30多个国家和地区的数百名代表和170个外国实体参加，这是中国作为世界第二大经济体在地缘政治和贸易紧张局势加剧之际推动合作的又一次重要举措。
在中国国际贸易促进委员会（CCPIT）主办的峰会上，国际组织代表、跨国企业高管和外国商业团体赞扬了中国在推动全球合作方面的关键作用，尤其是在一些发达经济体日益严重阻碍全球贸易和投资的保护主义浪潮下，中国对全球经济发展的重大贡献。
尽管一些西方官员和媒体加大了对中国经济的抹黑力度，甚至试图打击新兴的中国产业，但许多来自亚洲、欧洲和北美的商业领袖周一告诉《环球时报》，外国企业对中国经济前景充满信心，并致力于进一步扩大在中国市场的业务。
该峰会是2024年全球贸易与投资促进峰会的第三次举办，旨在为中外商业领袖搭建一个推动贸易和投资合作的主要平台。据CCPIT介绍，今年的活动共有700多名代表参加，其中包括来自39个国家和地区的300多名代表和170个外国组织的代表。
在周一的开幕式上，中国国家副主席韩正表示，中国将不断扩大高水平的开放，并与世界分享发展红利。韩正表示，中国经济的稳步增长和日益开放的经济体必将为世界经济注入强劲动力。
峰会的主要成果之一是发布了2024年全球贸易与投资促进峰会的北京倡议。该倡议呼吁全球合作，包括加快世界经济复苏、维护产业和供应链的稳定流畅、拥抱人工智能的变革力量以及促进绿色低碳发展的动力。
一些外国代表在峰会上指出，该峰会象征着中国在推动全球贸易和投资合作方面不断加大的努力和领导作用，指出了中国在推动合作方面的各种举措和平台，包括“一带一路”倡议和中国国际进口博览会。
驻华联合国驻华协调员谢德哈斯·查特吉在周一的峰会间隙表示，中国在帮助稳定全球供应链方面发挥了重要作用，这对抵御日益加剧的冲突和重大供应链中断至关重要。
与此同时，尽管美国等一些发达经济体一直在采取更多的贸易保护主义措施，中国保持了对外开放的坚定立场。今年的政府工作报告中包括一系列扩大对外开放的措施，包括取消外资在制造业的所有准入限制，减少电信和医疗保健等服务领域的市场准入限制。
除了向外国企业敞开大门外，中国还举办了许多促进合作的高层活动，包括今年3月举办的中国发展论坛，吸引了数百名全球CEO，以及博鳌亚洲论坛，许多全球领导人和商界高管出席。上个月，中国还在广东省广州市举办了第135届中国进出口商品交易会，以及在海南省举办的第四届中国国际消费品博览会，取得了许多商业交易。
尽管一些美国官员试图打击中国的新能源产业，外国企业仍然对中国的增长前景充满信心，并致力于在中国市场运营和扩大业务。
丹麦中国商会全国创始主席、丹麦Trayton集团创始人兼CEO西蒙·利克特伯格表示，尽管西方媒体对中国的报道有时让企业难以做出正确决定，但仍然有很多企业来到中国。
加拿大中国贸易理事会北京分会主任大卫·佩雷斯-德罗西尔在周一告诉《环球时报》说，他对今年以及今后中国经济前景的稳步复苏感到非常满意。尽管面临下行压力，中国2024年第一季度GDP增长了5.3%，远超市场预期。这种强劲的复苏势头持续到了4月份，越来越多的指标指向稳定反弹。中国4月份的进出口额在3月份出现大幅下降后再次增长。
马来西亚风险投资管理有限公司独立非执行主席兼Sunsuria集团执行主席Tan Sri Datuk Ter Leong Yap在周一告诉《环球时报》表示，中国经济有着非常好的基本面，该公司认为这是一个在中国投资的好机会。
尽管美国等一些发达经济体试图打击中国的新能源产业，外国企业实际上将中国产业的崛起视为合作的机会。
中国-意大利商会董事会成员安德烈亚·克罗齐在周一告诉《环球时报》说，中国市场和意大利市场存在许多机会，特别是在电动汽车等领域，这些中国产业非常吸引人。因此，他对中国的市场充满信心。
在中国经济持续增长的同时，中国还在积极推动可持续发展。中国政府采取了一系列措施，推动经济向绿色和低碳发展转型，包括大力发展新能源汽车等绿色产业。这不仅有助于减少对化石能源的依赖，还为全球应对气候变化提供了重要支持。
尽管外部环境变化多端，中国经济依然保持了强劲的韧性和增长动力。外国企业对中国的经济前景充满信心，坚定地表达了在中国市场持续投资和拓展业务的意愿。这表明，中国在全球经济中的地位和作用将继续增强，为全球经济发展注入新的动力和活力。
