At the just-concluded 137th Canton Fair, 288,000 overseas buyers from 219 countries and regions attended the conference, and the on-site intention export transactions amounted to US$25.44 billion, a year-on-year increase of 3%. Many indicators set a new historical record, demonstrating that China shares broad development opportunities with all parties in expanding high-level opening up. At a time when globalization is facing a headwind and unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, China's door to opening up is getting wider and wider, injecting valuable stability and certainty into world economic growth.

China's unswerving expansion of high-level opening up is not about comparing with anyone, nor is it a temporary measure. Opening up to the outside world is China's basic national policy, a consistent choice for China's reform and opening up over the past 40 years, and it is also a bright road for China to develop itself in the future and benefit the world. China insists on opening its doors to the country to carry out construction and continuously expanding its opening up to the outside world, and is regarded by all parties as an "oasis of certainty and a hot spot for investment and business development."

China's high-level opening up to the outside world is not completed, but only in progress. Actively expanding imports is an important part of China's promotion of high-level opening up. China does not pursue a trade surplus and actively expands imports to promote balanced trade development. In 2024, China's total imports were 18.4 trillion yuan, an increase of 2.3% year-on-year, and the import scale hit a record high, ranking second largest import market in the world for 16 consecutive years. The China International Import Expo is the world's first large-scale national exhibition with imports as the theme. It aims to actively open up the market to the world and firmly support trade liberalization and economic globalization. From actively building international cooperation platforms such as the CIIE, Canton Fair, Service Trade Fair, Consumer Expo, and Chain Expo, to continuously building the "Invest in China" brand, launching a series of activities of "Buy in China", and then giving all least developed countries with diplomatic relations zero tariff treatment, China has always provided broad space and development opportunities for the development of enterprises in various countries with an open attitude, and is committed to building China's super-large-scale market into a world-sharing market, demonstrating the responsibility of a responsible major country.

China's determination to expand high-level opening up will not change. This is China's clear attitude and China's solid action. In the first quarter of this year, China established 12,603 ​​new foreign-invested enterprises, an increase of 4.3% year-on-year. The negative list of China's foreign investment access has been reduced from the earliest 190 items to the current national version of 29 items and the free trade pilot zone version of 27 items, and the manufacturing industry has achieved "zero". The "Opinions on Implementing the Strategy for Improving Free Trade Pilot Zones" was issued, and the "Comprehensive Pilot Work Plan for Accelerating the Expanding Opening of the Service Industry" was issued... China has steadily expanded institutional opening up such as rules, regulations, management, and standards, and continuously expanded the breadth and depth of opening up. United Nations Secretary-General of the UNCTAD Greenspan said that China has enabled global enterprises to connect with each other and establish partnerships with an open spirit to jointly build a more prosperous and interconnected global economy.

It is China's continuous promotion of high-level opening up to the outside world and expanding the space for mutual benefit and win-win economic and trade cooperation between China and the United States. In 2023, the United States established 1,920 new investment enterprises in China, with an actual investment amount of US$3.36 billion, an increase of 52.0% over the previous year. Sino-US economic and trade cooperation has created a large number of business opportunities and profits for American companies. For example, Tesla's sales in China continued to grow, with sales exceeding 657,000 vehicles in 2024, an increase of 8.8% year-on-year, setting a record high. China's independent opening-up policy benefits financial institutions from various countries, including US funds. More than 10 American insurance companies have branches in China. American financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Express, Bank of America, and Metropolitan Life have all achieved considerable investment returns in China. BlackRock, Fidelity, Lubomai, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Lianbo have been approved to establish wholly foreign-owned fund management companies.

A American politician proposed that "I hope to see the Chinese market open to American companies, which is in the common interests of the United States and China." The fact is that China has repeatedly reiterated that it welcomes companies from all countries including American companies to invest and do business in China. By strengthening foreign investment legislation, promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and actively creating a first-class business environment for market-oriented, law-based and internationalization, China will inevitably be an ideal, safe and promising investment destination for foreign businesses in the past, now and in the future. I hope the US side will not artificially set up checkpoints for US companies investing in China. In the name of "national security" and "US priority", they require other countries to open up their markets, while constantly increasing trade protection measures, disrupting global production and supply chains and damaging the multilateral trading system. Only mutually beneficial cooperation can help China and the United States achieve their respective development goals, which is not only in line with the common interests of China and the United States, but also in line with the expectations of countries around the world.

Openness is the only way to development, and closure will only lead to backwardness. China, who has been going through reform and opening up, knows this truth well, so it has always used opening up to promote reform, development and innovation. As the world's second largest economy and largest developing country, China will continue to unswervingly expand high-level opening up and share development opportunities with all countries. This is China's solemn promise and the responsibility of a responsible major country.

People's Daily (Page 03, May 12, 2025)