International Sharp Review | Together in the "Spring Day" Journey, Global Capital Groups "Look East"

How does the stability of China’s policies attract a continuous influx of global capital?

In late March, Beijing. At the 2026 China Development Forum, nearly a hundred leaders from multinational companies gathered for a “spring rendezvous” with China. Inside the venue, discussions on new consumption, artificial intelligence, green low-carbon initiatives… guests exchanged ideas and explored cooperation; outside, executives from multinational companies were busy visiting the Ministry of Commerce and other ministries, seizing the new opportunities presented by the launch of China’s “14th Five-Year Plan.”

This wave of visits to China continues the trend of the world “looking east” that began at the end of last year, and “turning to China” has become a high-frequency term in international media reports about China. The reason behind this, as stated by Chinese Premier Li Qiang in his keynote speech at the 2026 China Development Forum, is that China is committed to being the “cornerstone of certainty” and a “harbor of stability” for the world.

This certainty and stability come from China’s strategic determination of “drawing a blueprint and following it through.”

In recent days, the “14th Five-Year Plan” has been repeatedly mentioned by foreign investors. With 18 chapters and 62 sections, this guiding document for China’s economic and social development over the next five years clearly outlines seven major goals, including “significant achievements in high-quality development.” It is not only China’s “new blueprint” for development but also a “new opportunity” for the world.

Herbert Diess, Chairman of Volkswagen’s Board of Management, deeply resonated with this: “The Chinese people have a highly planned layout through their five-year plans, with clear priorities. The most positive aspect we see in China is the high level of discipline and execution when advancing related issues.” Tan Bo Wen, Managing Director of Viking Cruises China, told Global Times: “The planning of the Chinese government is highly forward-looking and certain, which is our core competitive advantage and the reason we dare to increase our investments.”

Stable policies lead to stable expectations, and stable expectations build confidence. The certainty of Chinese government policies serves as a “stabilizing force,” allowing foreign enterprises to plan and strategize with ease for the long term.

This certainty and stability also stem from the enormous potential of China’s vast market.

In today’s world, protectionism is on the rise, and markets have become scarce resources, yet they can also be continuously created. As the world’s second-largest economy, China’s market is not only large but also full of potential. During the “13th Five-Year Plan,” China’s per capita GDP jumped from $10,000 to over $13,000, with commodity consumption shifting towards new and high-quality products, and service consumption seeing robust growth. This year, the Chinese government has prioritized “building a strong domestic market” as its top task. During the forum, China committed to importing more high-quality foreign goods and working with all parties to promote balanced trade development, collectively expanding the global economic and trade pie.

From relevant statements and actions by China, FedEx captured logistics opportunities; Olam International from Singapore aimed at the huge growth potential in China’s grain and oil market; Nestlé in Switzerland keenly sensed the new trend of “emotional consumption” in China, stating that this would inspire new ideas for enterprise research and development… The vastness and novelty of the Chinese market have led many multinational companies to see more shared opportunities.

This certainty and stability also arise from China’s “hardcore” innovation capabilities.

“Every time the world economy emerges from difficulties and moves towards prosperity, it is not through competing for existing markets, but by creating incremental markets through openness and technological progress.” Herbert Diess was deeply impressed by this statement from the Chinese side at the forum. He said that, for the automotive industry, it is important to innovate and develop new industrial fields to drive overall economic development.

Innovation creates incremental markets, and China’s innovation capacity is attracting global attention. “I was truly amazed by the flexibility and functionality of these robots!” In February, Claudia from HPP Architecture in Germany expressed her astonishment after watching the performance of China’s robot “Wu BOT” in Hangzhou. BMW Group Chairman Oliver Zipse let the facts speak: “BMW’s battery cells are independently developed by CATL, and the large model of the smart personal assistant is the result of long-term cooperation with Alibaba.”

In the eyes of foreign investors, China is not just the “world’s factory” but also a global leader in applied innovation. The Financial Times commented that China will become a testing ground and a barometer for intelligent agents.

This certainty and stability also come from China’s “ever-expanding” open doors.

From the “closure” of Hainan Free Trade Port to the implementation of the “Encouragement of Foreign Investment Industry Catalog (2025 Edition)” and the dedicated chapter in the “14th Five-Year Plan” for expanding high-level opening-up, China has conveyed a clear message through a series of pragmatic measures: the door to openness will not close but will only continue to widen.

Recently, during a visit to the Ministry of Commerce of China, Kenneth Jarrett, President of the US-China Business Council, said: “I can name almost every colleague in the Ministry of Commerce present here because over the past few years, we have interacted so much, and you have helped solve so many problems.” Thomas Schwan, President of Sanofi Greater China, also shared a story: On the first working day of this year, the Jing’an District of Shanghai invited companies to the district government to learn about needs and solve problems on the spot, “This kind of business environment is an important consideration for us to expand our investments.”

In China, openness has never been just empty talk; it is about solving individual problems and implementing decisions. At the forum, China once again promised to continue creating a favorable business environment, fully implementing national treatment for foreign enterprises, and ensuring that companies from all countries can develop and thrive in China.

Currently, this sense of “security” is continuously transforming into action: BASF Group in Germany will hold the inauguration ceremony for its Zhanjiang base this week, with an investment of about 10 billion euros marking a new chapter for BASF’s development in China; KONE Elevator’s southern headquarters in Guangdong is set to be operational by the end of March, deeply integrating into the development of the Greater Bay Area. Global pharmaceutical giants are also collectively ramping up efforts—Eli Lilly in the US announced a $3 billion investment, AstraZeneca in the UK will build pharmaceutical production bases in Guangzhou and Shanghai, and Sanofi in France broke ground on a €1 billion insulin raw material production base earlier this year… From January to February this year, China established 8,631 new foreign-invested enterprises, a year-on-year increase of 14%. “Investing in China is investing in the future” has become a consensus among foreign investors.

Present-day China is rich in momentum for high-quality development, with doors to openness continuously widening; numerous multinational companies are flocking in, casting their trust votes in the Chinese market with real investments. This clearly demonstrates that despite the rampant unilateralism and protectionism, the forces seeking cooperation and promoting development are still growing stronger, and open cooperation for mutual benefit is the mainstream of this era.

(International Observer commentator)