Innovation, solid supply chain attracting FDI

China will remain a vital innovation hub and manufacturing base for foreign corporations despite global economic uncertainty, said government officials and business leaders.

They noted that foreign firms are maintaining deep engagement with the Chinese market, capitalizing on their technological expertise alongside China's well-developed industrial and supply chains — a synergy that enhances operational efficiency, fosters innovation and strengthens supply chain resilience.

Foreign-invested companies in China saw their export and import value grow by 2.4 percent year-on-year to 6.32 trillion yuan ($881.2 billion) in the first half, marking growth for the fifth consecutive quarter, statistics from the General Administration of Customs showed.

The number of foreign-invested businesses in the country with actual import and export activities amounted to 75,000 in the first six months, the highest level for the same period since 2021, said the administration.

China's evolving industrial ecosystem — combining cost, quality and speed with advanced infrastructure — is transforming into a collaborative innovation hub where multinationals co-develop and expand alongside local partners, said Mohamed Kande, global chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd, a London-based global accounting company.

Reflecting on this shift, Lyu Daliang, director of the GAC's department of statistics and analysis, said that among the major manufacturing categories involved in foreign company exports, industries such as specialized equipment, electrical machinery and electronic devices all posted robust growth between January and June.

One such company — Global Electric Appliance (Nantong) Co Ltd, a manufacturer of household appliances in Nantong, Jiangsu province and a subsidiary of a Singapore-based industrial group — reported a 31.9 percent year-on-year increase in exports, reaching 343 million yuan in the first half, said Nanjing Customs.

Chen Jinxin, head of the company's foreign trade unit, said the company has shipped its products, including vacuum and steam cleaners, to over 90 overseas markets, backed by China's innovative solutions and a highly integrated supply chain that enables rapid product development and efficient global distribution.

Apart from investing 3 billion yuan in its Hangzhou plant in Zhejiang province over the past decade, Italian chocolate and confectionery maker Ferrero Group said that the factory now supplies 53 percent of its products to the Chinese market, with the remaining 47 percent exported to more than 20 countries and regions across the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North America.

Yang Lianjun, general manager of Ferrero's Hangzhou plant, said the Chinese market offers significant opportunities, and the company may introduce additional premium product categories in the future, such as ice cream.

To bolster its local research and development capabilities, Ferrero established a food innovation center within its Hangzhou facility last year. The center focuses on developing chocolate, confectionery and bakery products tailored to regional preferences and shortening time-to-market cycles.

The Ministry of Commerce said foreign direct investment in China's manufacturing sector reached 109.06 billion yuan in the first half, while high-tech industries attracted 127.87 billion yuan. FDI inflows from Switzerland, Japan, the United Kingdom and Germany rose by 68.6 percent, 59.1 percent, 37.6 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively.

Amid a turbulent and uncertain global trade landscape, the stability of China's policy environment and the long-term orientation of its planning have grown increasingly valuable, said Li Xingqian, vice-chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Neutrik Technology (Ningbo) Co Ltd, a Ningbo, Zhejiang province-based manufacturer of electronic connectors and a subsidiary of the European company Neutrik AG, reported a 19 percent year-on-year rise in first-half sales to 68.45 million yuan, covering both domestic sales and exports, said Ningbo Customs.

Dong Lanju, the company's president, said that China's well-integrated industrial ecosystem and pro-business environment will continue to empower foreign manufacturers to expand production, boost operational efficiency and better capture opportunities in global markets.