Path to common development requires commitment to openness and collaboration: China Daily editorial

In a world increasingly marked by geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties, China has once again reaffirmed its commitment to openness, global collaboration, and sustainable development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum 2025 in Beijing on Sunday, Premier Li Qiang emphasized China's resolve to achieve its annual growth target of around 5 percent while further expanding market access for foreign investors across various sectors. His remarks underscored China's role as a stabilizing force in the global economy and its determination to foster mutual benefit and win-win cooperation in an era of rising protectionism and unilateralism.

This commitment to openness stands in stark contrast to the "America First" policies pursued by the United States, which have seen it weaponize tariffs and retreat from multilateralism. The US' bullying, unilateral policies have disrupted global trade, finance, and economic stability, creating challenges for nations and businesses worldwide. In this context, China's consistent advocacy for and practice of openness and shared development offer a vital alternative.

The China Development Forum, attended by hundreds of executives from leading multinational corporations, researchers, officials, and representatives of international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, served as a platform to showcase China's vast opportunities and its commitment to shared development. In his speech, Premier Li urged global business leaders to seize the potential presented by China's massive consumer market, its dynamic innovation ecosystem, and its rapidly growing green economy. He called for international businesses to collaborate with the country in good faith to resist unilateralism and protectionism, emphasizing that mutual benefit and win-win cooperation are the keys to achieving greater development dividends.

Premier Li's speech also highlighted the indispensable role that foreign-funded enterprises play in upholding China's development trajectory. He described them as key participants and contributors to the country's economic progress, emphasizing that China's doors will remain open to international businesses.

China's commitment to openness is not merely rhetorical; it is deeply rooted in its institutional design and long-term planning. This year marks the conclusion of China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), a period during which the country has made significant strides in achieving its economic and social development goals. The success of China's five-year plans over the past seven decades demonstrates the unique advantages of its system, which combines strategic planning with flexibility and adaptability.

Premier Li's speech highlighted the resilience, potential, and vitality of the Chinese economy. The scale of China's economy, coupled with the efficiency and responsiveness of its policy implementation, generates a powerful endogenous growth impetus. As the Chinese economy continues to strengthen, new growth drivers are emerging across various sectors, from advanced manufacturing and digital technologies to renewable energy and green infrastructure. By integrating into China's market, international businesses can tap into these opportunities. The face-to-face exchanges between international entrepreneurs and China's economic policymakers at the forum provided them with firsthand insights into the government's resolve and capability to maintain long-term stable growth.

China's commitment to openness is further reinforced by its efforts to address the concerns of foreign companies. Premier Li reiterated that the government will continue to deepen economic system reform, promote the construction of a unified national market, and remove bottlenecks and obstacles to economic circulation, enterprise innovation, and creation. These measures are designed to create a more level playing field for all businesses.

In a world grappling with uncertainty, China's steady growth and commitment to openness provide a beacon of stability and opportunity. As Premier Li noted, enterprises are not only beneficiaries of globalization they also need to be the defenders and promoters of it. By working together to resist protectionism and unilateralism, China and its international partners can build a fairer and more inclusive global economic system.