Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 22 The "semi-annual report" of China's economy released recently showed that as protectionism is overwhelming and global recovery is staggering, China has achieved steady economic growth with a firm and open attitude. This achievement not only demonstrates the stable and resilience of China's economy, but also confirms a simple truth: openness brings progress, while closure will inevitably lag behind. The key to China's economic growth world lies in its profound and multi-dimensional "openness". A China that is committed to building a high-level opening-up pattern is constantly injecting new momentum into the turbulent world and bringing precious development opportunities to all countries that embrace cooperation.
Open China is not only beneficial to China, but also an opportunity for all countries. In the first half of 2025, China's economy withstood the pressure and faced difficulties. The economic operation continued to develop steadily and positively. In the first half of the year, the GDP grew by 5.3% year-on-year, of which the contribution rate of domestic demand to GDP growth was 68.8%, and the contribution rate of final consumption expenditure was 52%. Domestic demand, especially consumption, is the main driving force for promoting GDP growth. Research by the International Monetary Fund shows that every 1 percentage point of China's economy will increase the output level of other economies by an average of 0.3 percentage points. It can be said that the steady growth of China's economy itself is the most direct benefit to the world. Belna DeWitt, chairman of the Belgian China Economic and Trade Commission, pointed out that "a more prosperous China will inject stability into the global economy, and a more open China will benefit the world."
As China's door to opening up is getting bigger and bigger, its super-large market, composed of more than 1.4 billion people and more than 400 million middle-income groups, has released an increasingly strong positive spillover effect. Large-scale exhibitions such as the CIIE, Chain Expo, Service Trade Fair, and Consumer Expo have built a bridge for global enterprises to enter China and reach the world; the continuous optimization of import structure and steady reduction of tariff levels have not only enriched the domestic market supply, but also promoted the export upgrade of emerging markets such as ASEAN, Africa, and Latin America, and stimulated the broad prospect of win-win cooperation. Ho Mude, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Ambo, admitted that the growing demand of Chinese consumers is a "huge development opportunity" and "the prosperity of the Chinese market directly drives the continued growth of our business."
While providing a broad market, China's economy attracts global capital with its high degree of predictability and trust. With solid policy support, continuously optimized business environment and long-term and stable social governance, China has boosted foreign employees' confidence in becoming a leader in China. In recent years, China has continuously reduced its negative list of foreign investment access, from the initial 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 clearance". The "subtraction" on the list witnesses China's increasing efforts to open up. At the same time, we will continue to expand the global high-standard free trade zone network, accelerate the construction of free trade pilot zones and Hainan Free Trade Port... China declares to the world with practical actions that China was, is, and will inevitably be an ideal, safe and promising investment destination for foreign investors in the past, is, and will also be an ideal, safe and promising investment destination for foreign investors.
The dividends of institutional opening up are being transformed into tangible capital inflows and project implementation. From 2021 to May this year, foreign investors' cumulative direct investment in China was 4.7 trillion yuan, exceeding the total amount during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. Foreign-invested enterprises contributed one-third of China's imports and exports, one-quarter of its industrial added value, and one-seventh of its tax revenue, creating more than 30 million jobs. Since the beginning of this year, foreign capital has continued to increase investment in China, which is not only a high trust in the prospects of China's market, but also a firm recognition of China's opening-up policy and industrial ecology. Some foreign media and executives of multinational companies admitted that "giving up the Chinese market is equivalent to giving up the growth tickets for the next decade." Greenspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said: "China advocates open trade and firmly believes that the contribution of trade and investment to development is a very important example of development in the 20th and 21st century."
At a deeper level, from passive integration into economic globalization to actively building a new platform for international cooperation, the openness of China's economy is being upgraded to an innovative driving force for leading change, and continues to build a new highland for global co-construction and sharing. China initiated the establishment of financial cooperation platforms such as Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Silk Road Fund to provide support for global connectivity. The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative has become a popular international public product. A large number of landmark projects such as the China-Europe Express and China-Laos Railway have effectively driven the upgrading of infrastructure in the fields of transportation, energy, communications, etc., and have become an important support for promoting the acceleration of modernization of developing countries.
"What China pursues is common development. We must not only make ourselves live well, but also make others live well." From expanding market opening, to enhancing investment confidence, and then promoting platform co-construction, China's series of measures to build a high-level open economy are constantly expanding its convergence with the interests of various countries. The world needs an open China, and China's opening up will also create a more inclusive, prosperous and sustainable world.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Supei
