China seeks policy dialogue with multinationals at upcoming summit

BEIJING - China is poised to offer multinational companies a platform for "policy communication, industrial coordination and project cooperation" at the upcoming sixth Qingdao Multinationals Summit, a commerce ministry official said Friday.

The summit is scheduled to be held from June 18 to 20 in Qingdao, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province, said Li Yongjie, deputy international trade representative of China's Ministry of Commerce, at a press conference.

With the summit marking its sixth edition since 2019, China aims to convey a positive message to the world about its unwavering commitment to further opening up and welcoming foreign investment, Li said.

The summit will feature closed-door meetings focusing on policy interpretation, parallel forums aimed at discussing open cooperation, and the release of a research report on the presence of multinationals in China, according to the official.

Li added that the commerce ministry will continue to accelerate the implementation of all opening-up measures, strengthen the protection of the rights and interests of foreign companies, and create a favorable environment for their development.

China has continued to be a strong magnet for foreign investment, with 18,832 new foreign-invested enterprises established in the Chinese mainland in the first four months of 2025, marking a 12.1 percent year-on-year growth, according to earlier data from the ministry.