Global Times: From CIIE to FTP: An open and developing China brings opportunities and confidence to the world

BEIJING, Nov. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- China's development cannot be separated from the world, and the world's prosperity also needs China. Openness, cooperation, and mutual benefit are key to decoding Chinese modernization.

The eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) concluded in Shanghai on Monday. Personally conceived and promoted by President Xi Jinping, the CIIE is the world's first import expo held at the national level, an innovation in the history of global trade, according to the Xinhua News Agency. It set record highs for both exhibition area and exhibitor numbers.

On November 6, when hearing a work report in Sanya, South China's island province of Hainan, on the building of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said that the Hainan FTP will officially launch island-wide special customs operations on December 18 this year, which he said is a landmark move of China to unwaveringly expand high-standard opening-up and promote the development of an open world economy, according to Xinhua.

The CIIE is an important decision made by China to pursue a new round of high-level opening-up, and is China's major initiative to still widen market access to the rest of the world, said President Xi in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai in November 2018, Xinhua reported.

Revisiting these important statements and closely linking them with eight years of practical exploration through the "two major measures" - the CIIE and the FTP - one can more vividly feel the strategic foresight of the CPC Central Committee in advancing the country's opening‑up agenda.

From the long-term vision of developing an FTP with Chinese characteristics, to the landmark initiative of soon launching island-wide special customs operations, and to the goal of becoming an important gateway driving the country's opening-up in the new era, the construction of the FTP has been progressing steadily in the course of reform and opening-up in the new era.

Providing opportunities 

China's potential lies in strengthening consumption as the main engine and enhancing the growth capacity of its ultra-large market, making the Chinese market not only a strategic pillar for Chinese modernization, but also a global opportunity that creates new space for worldwide development.

China has become the world's second-largest consumer and import market and is the only developing country to host a national-level international import expo while continuously opening its market to the world.

From "carrying six suitcases" to "shipping a whole container," IncaSur, a food company from Peru and a returning exhibitor at the CIIE, is accelerating its growth in the Chinese market. Amanda Gallegos, the company's CEO, said that Chinese consumers are increasingly focused on healthy diets, and the new direct shipping route from Peru's  Chancay Port to Shanghai has greatly reduced logistics costs, making it both a growing trend and increasingly convenient to sell products in China.

China's vast market space is driven not only by its population size, but also by the upgrade of consumption patterns. With more than 1.4 billion people, nearly 50 trillion yuan ($7.03 trillion) in annual consumption and over 20 trillion yuan in imports, China's expanding middle-income group and rapidly rising youth consumer segment are driving a healthy interaction between high-quality supply and premium demand. This dynamic continuously upgrades overall social demand and gives stronger momentum to the domestic economic cycle.

This dynamic has created opportunities for foreign investors seeking to tap into China's market potential. Take the Hainan FTP as an example, which has identified sectors such as elderly care, healthcare, and vocational education as areas encouraged for foreign investment. Over the past five years, Hainan has seen the establishment of more than 8,000 new foreign-invested enterprises, with an average annual growth rate of 43.7 percent.

China is committed to becoming the best version of itself while sharing development opportunities with countries around the world. Nobel laureate in economics Thomas Sargent said that China's experience has shown the world that only through openness can a stable and predictable new order be built, benefiting everyone.

Injecting strong impetus

The driving force of China lies in its leading role in scientific and technological innovation and the country's foundation in the real economy. China promotes the development of new quality productive forces adapted to local conditions and accelerates the construction of a modern industrial system. This not only lays a solid foundation for forward development but also injects strong momentum into the world economy.

In the first three quarters of this year, the actual use of foreign direct investment in China's high-tech sectors totaled 170.84 billion yuan. Today, China offers more innovation scenarios, lower innovation costs and higher innovation returns. It has the world's largest R&D workforce, the highest number of global top‑100 tech innovation clusters, and its global innovation index ranking has jumped to 10th place.

By promoting the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation while ensuring seamless alignment between the innovation chain and the industrial chain, China not only has strong new growth drivers supporting its own development but has also become an important stage for global innovation.

China is a fertile ground for innovation, and its vibrant market provides rich soil for the transformation of innovation, a favorable business environment offers supportive policies, and outstanding talent injects powerful momentum into innovation, according to Zhang Lei, vice president of communications at Bayer China and Northeast Asia.

From being the "world's factory" to becoming a "source of innovation," and from "trading globally" to "empowering globally," China has become a strategic market for global innovation and an important engine of growth.

Showing confidence to the world

The magnetic appeal of China lies in its long‑term political stability and social security, its creation of a transparent, stable, and predictable policy environment, and its active efforts to foster a first‑class business environment. China's governance has become an important element of national soft power, presenting the world with confidence, hope and a vision for the future.

On one hand, China continues to build a first‑class business environment that is market‑oriented, law‑based and internationalized, promoting fair competition and vigorous development among enterprises of all ownership types. On the other hand, China is recognized as one of the safest countries in the world and has introduced unilateral visa-free entry and mutual visa exemption agreements with 76 countries globally.

The evidence shows that China's confidence is increasingly shared by the world, and China's future is profoundly shaping the world's future.

SOURCE Global Times