Xinhua News Agency, Xiamen, September 11th Title: What are the new opportunities for "investing in China"—— What do exhibitors at the CIFIT have to say

Xinhua News Agency reporters Wu Jianfeng, Sui Lixi, and Pang Mengxia

In recent days, in Hall 5 of the Xiamen International Expo Center, the booth of Yihai Kerry Arowana Food Group Co., Ltd. has been crowded with people.On the booth, low-GI high-fiber oats, black highland barley, tartary buckwheat and other products were lined up - with 38 years of experience in China, this overseas Chinese-funded enterprise is exploring the "big market" from "big health".

From September 8th to 11th, the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade was held in Xiamen, Fujian. Merchants from 129 countries and regions shuttled through 14 professional exhibition areas, and the sounds of negotiations in Chinese, English, and Arabic continued one after another."China Opportunities" became a hotly discussed word among the guests at the conference.

“We have observed new changes in the Chinese market, the most prominent of which is the upgrading of health needs.Mu Yankui, President of Yihai Kerry Arowana, said that China’s elderly population is large and young people’s personalized needs for health are also growing.National health needs drive companies to keep pace with the times and develop comprehensive health products.Since last year, the company has launched a number of nutritional and functional products targeting overweight and obese people, diabetics, etc., which have been well recognized by the market.

Mu Yankui said that companies have invested a total of about 100 billion yuan in China, of which the cumulative investment in the past eight years has been about 60 billion yuan, exceeding the total of the previous 30 years."In the future, we will firmly invest in China and help China's agriculture realize the transformation from "big" to "strong".”

Today, China has grown into the world's second largest consumer market.In recent years, the structural opportunities brought about by consumption upgrades have led global merchants to vote with "real money".

French sporting goods brand Decathlon knows this well.With the improvement of national fitness awareness, China's sports consumption scene has become more diverse.“China's sports market has broad room for growth.Zhao Jie, director of public relations and media communications for Decathlon China, said that in order to meet the increasingly diverse, segmented and professional sports needs of consumers, Decathlon is promoting product innovation, local research and development and sports service upgrades.

In Zhao Jie’s view, the unique compound advantages of the Chinese market are a source of confidence for enterprises.“China has a complete and efficient manufacturing and supply chain system. More than 94% of Decathlon's products sold in China are produced locally, allowing it to respond to local needs faster. At the same time, the rapidly developing technology ecosystem and rich consumption scenarios allow companies to get closer to the real needs of consumers and connect with cutting-edge technology, product research and development and industrial resources more quickly.”

In addition to the livelihood opportunities brought by consumption upgrades, new industrial outlets under the wave of green and low-carbon transformation have also attracted the attention of global capital.New tracks such as energy conservation and environmental protection, resource recycling, and low-carbon smart manufacturing are rapidly emerging, and "Green China" is becoming the "new blue ocean" for multinational companies.

The French Veolia Environmental Group entered the Chinese market in the 1990s and currently invests and operates more than 100 projects in more than 40 cities. Its business covers water supply and sewage, liquid and hazardous waste disposal and recycling, and solid waste recycling and reuse.Huang Xiaojun, senior vice president of Veolia Global, noticed that terms such as "green low-carbon circular economic system", "zero-carbon park" and "expanding the use of recycled materials" frequently appear in the "15th Five-Year Plan" in various places.

“This is the key direction in which we hope to deepen cooperation,”Huang Xiaojun said at the CIFIT, “We hope to connect international technological advantages with China's "double carbon" goals and local industrial needs, strengthen cooperation with universities, scientific research institutions and key parks, and put more application scenarios into practice locally.”

From selling products to building an ecosystem, from expanding the market to co-innovation - for many foreign companies, today's China is no longer just a sales market, but an innovation system integrating R&D, manufacturing and commercialization.

“In the past, many multinational companies introduced innovative products to China. Today, this concept has lagged far behind. Companies pay more attention to innovative R&D systems, commercial operation systems, and production supply chain systems."With the gathering of outstanding scientific research talents and biotechnology companies, higher-level clinical research capabilities, and the accelerated integration of artificial intelligence, digital technology and life sciences, China is not only an important global pharmaceutical market, but also an important part of global pharmaceutical innovation," said Schwang, President of Sanofi Greater China.

Data released by China’s Ministry of Commerce show that nearly 4,800 foreign-invested companies increased their investment in China in the first half of the year. In the first seven months, 37,700 new foreign-invested companies were established, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%. The actual use of foreign capital in high-tech industries increased by 32.7% year-on-year.Kearney's "2026 Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index" shows that China's foreign investment confidence has risen to fourth in the world.

Ling Ji, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy Representative for International Trade Negotiations, previously stated at a press conference of the State Council Information Office that foreign investors investing in China are currently paying more attention to efficient industrial ecology and superior infrastructure, especially the current supply of new production factors such as green electricity and computing power, as well as efficient supply chain systems, vibrant innovation ecology and high-quality talent supply.“When we communicate with many executives of multinational companies, we often hear a saying, ‘If you can be successful in the Chinese market, then you can be more successful in other parts of the world.’”