An 'oasis of certainty' in a turbulent world

BEIJING — In an increasingly unpredictable global environment, China is becoming an "oasis of certainty" as it continues to build up industrial strength and foster institutional opening-up, drawing influential foreign investors, from tech giants to automakers, into the world's second-largest economy.

Latest data from the Ministry of Commerce show that foreign direct investment in the Chinese mainland in actual use climbed by 13.2 percent year-on-year last month. In the first quarter of 2025, some 12,603 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, representing year-on-year growth of 4.3 percent.

At a petrochemical plant rising a hundred meters from the ground, the sounds of welding, cutting and roaring interweave. The over 80 billion yuan ($11 billion) cooperation project co-invested by Saudi oil giant Aramco and Chinese enterprises in Panjin, northeastern Liaoning province, has progressed to more than 60 percent.

Aramco is currently investing in projects in China that have a collective and total value of over 240 billion yuan, covering petrochemical projects and equity acquisition deals.

"China is already the world's largest consumer and producer of petrochemicals, accounting for nearly half of global demand," said Amin H.Nasser, president and CEO of the company. "China is becoming an oasis of certainty in an increasingly unpredictable global environment."

Since the start of this year, more and more foreign brands from various sectors have beefed up investment in China, leveraging its super-large market advantage. For example, fast fashion brand Zara opened its Asian flagship store in Nanjing, while US hair care brand Aveda opened its first store in South China in Guangzhou. German retail giant ALDI entered China's Jiangsu market.

Besides a vast market size, China's crucial role in fueling world economic growth has been underpinned by solid economic fundamentals and a stable policy framework, according to foreign institutions.

China's gross domestic product registered a 5.4 percent year-on-year growth in the first quarter. This forecast-beating performance is attributed to the fact that the government has increased fiscal spending, vigorously boosted consumption, and introduced a series of measures to stabilize the property market and the stock market, Nathan Chow, senior economist at DBS Bank, said.

The stable growth momentum in China's economy is a stability that serves as an important global public good, helping to buffer uncertainties across international markets, said Bernd Einmeier, president of the German-Chinese Association for Economy, Education, and Culture.

According to the 2025 Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index, which measures investor expectations for FDI over the next three years, China has led all emerging markets for three consecutive years. The market is expected to become a "stabilizer" for business confidence worldwide, with its steady growth, open attitude and innovative vitality, said He Xiaoqing, president of Kearney Greater China.