-- As autumn tides rise along the coast of Xiamen, the spirit of openness once again sets sail. On September 11, the 26th China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT) concluded successfully in Xiamen, Fujian Province.
As a major international investment event held at the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period, this year's CIFIT fully implemented the spirit of President Xi Jinping's congratulatory message to the 25th CIFIT. Under the permanent theme of “Further Expanding Bilateral Investment, Jointly Facilitating Global Development,” the Fair focused on three major sections—“Investment in China,” “China’s Investment,” and “International Investment”—and organized exhibitions, thematic forums, information releases, project matchmaking, and cooperation negotiations.
The event attracted delegations from more than 1,200 government agencies and business groups across 129 countries and regions, as well as representatives from 30 international organizations. Among the world’s top 50 economies by GDP, 48 sent delegations to CIFIT. More than 100,000 business visitors participated, marking historic highs in both international participation and delegation scale. The Fair brought together government officials, representatives of international organizations, financial institutions, multinational enterprises, and industry leaders to exchange ideas and explore new opportunities for global investment cooperation.
Opening for Momentum: Strengthening Confidence in Global Investment Cooperation
At the opening ceremony, Vice President Han Zheng emphasized that China remains committed to expanding high-level opening-up and promoting the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment. Despite increasing uncertainty and instability in the global economy, the trend toward openness and cooperation remains unchanged. As an important platform for international investment cooperation, CIFIT continues to promote dialogue, connectivity, and shared development.
Han Zheng proposed three priorities: expanding new opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation, accelerating the cultivation of new drivers of innovative growth, and jointly maintaining stable and efficient global industrial and supply chains.
This year’s CIFIT introduced, for the first time, dual guest countries of honor and dual guest provinces of honor. Finland and Saudi Arabia represented the guest countries, while Guangdong and Qinghai represented the guest provinces. Finland brought 42 enterprises and institutions, including KONE, UPM, Nokia, Valmet, and Metsä. Saudi Arabia organized 186 enterprises and institutions, including Saudi Aramco, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Public Investment Fund, ACWA Power, and Riyadh Air.
Through participation from international organizations, overseas investment promotion agencies, multinational corporations, financial institutions, and business associations, CIFIT further expanded its global network of investment cooperation.
China’s large-scale market, complete industrial system, abundant application scenarios, and opportunities generated by new quality productive forces continue to attract global investors. The exchanges and negotiations held at CIFIT delivered a clear message: openness remains a shared global trend, and cooperation remains a common choice for future development.
Precise Matchmaking: Connecting Investment and Expanding Cooperation
Bilateral investment was at the center of this year’s CIFIT, with precise matchmaking generating practical cooperation results. The Fair organized 46 thematic activities, including multinational investment trend briefings, RCEP economic and trade cooperation sessions, and discussions on international cooperation in industrial and supply chains, along with 52 project roadshows. It also hosted major events such as the 2026 International Investment Forum, the Gulangyu Forum, and the Eighth Maritime Silk Road International Cooperation Forum.
Financial services played an important role in supporting investment cooperation. The financial exhibition area expanded to 25,000 square meters, attracting 140 participating institutions, including major financial regulators, policy banks, and investment institutions. A series of professional financial activities helped connect global capital with real-economy industries, improving efficiency in investment, financing, and international cooperation.
The Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) exhibition zone brought together 74 globally systemically important banks and regional leading banks from 46 countries and regions, strengthening support for cross-border RMB settlement, trade facilitation, financing, and capital management.
Focusing on countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, CIFIT promoted cooperation through platforms such as the China-Indonesia “Two Countries, Twin Parks” project, China-Middle East sustainable development cooperation, and RCEP economic and trade exchanges. The Fair also strengthened regional connectivity through initiatives involving Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, creating opportunities in fields such as finance, technology commercialization, professional services, and international business expansion.
Investing in the Future: Focusing on Emerging Industries and Innovation
Investment looks not only at today’s opportunities but also at tomorrow’s possibilities. The Future Investment Conference 2026, themed “Global Investment for a Changing World,” gathered representatives from governments, international organizations, financial institutions, investment companies, and industries to discuss future trends in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, life sciences, healthcare, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing.
This year’s CIFIT highlighted artificial intelligence, the low-altitude economy, and specialized innovative enterprises through dedicated exhibition zones. Interactive demonstrations showcased achievements in robotics, intelligent equipment, industrial large language models, and other emerging technologies. The Green China thematic zone focused on new technologies and opportunities in green and low-carbon development.
From AI and advanced manufacturing to life sciences and sustainable industries, CIFIT brought together innovative resources that support the development of new quality productive forces. New technologies create new applications, new projects attract new investment, and emerging industries generate new growth opportunities.
Platform Upgrading: Connecting Global Resources Through Digital Innovation
For the first time, CIFIT was held at the Xiamen International Expo Center, expanding exhibition space from 120,000 to 200,000 square meters. The expansion represented not only a larger venue but also an upgrade in the Fair’s ability to connect global resources.
This year, CIFIT introduced “CIFIT Premium Goods,” combining global specialty products, high-quality domestic products, Fujian specialties, and products from traditional enterprises and intangible cultural heritage creators. Through integrated online and offline experiences, the Fair connected investment cooperation with consumption, culture, and everyday life.
Digital technology further enhanced efficiency throughout exhibitions, project matchmaking, and service platforms. The “Cloud CIFIT” platform established 968 online exhibition booths, released more than 4,700 projects, and facilitated over 19,000 online matchmaking sessions. The “Meet the Future” capital project matchmaking pavilion introduced a “Project Supermarket” featuring 130 selected projects and completed more than 1,300 one-on-one negotiations.
By accelerating information exchange, project connections, and capital flows, digital platforms enabled more precise matching between supply and demand, allowing global partners to cooperate beyond geographical boundaries.
CIFIT also strengthened its role as an information platform by releasing 28 authoritative reports, including the “China Two-way Investment Report 2026,” “Statistical Bulletin on Foreign Investment in China 2026,” and other investment-related publications. These reports provided professional references for understanding China’s investment environment, bilateral investment trends, and global capital movements.
Moving Forward: Embracing New Opportunities Through Openness
At the opening ceremony of the Future Investment Conference, Ling Ji, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy International Trade Representative, stated that China is willing to share development experience and innovative practices with global partners, supporting digital transformation, intelligent development, and green transition. China will continue working toward a fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory international investment environment while promoting investment liberalization and facilitation.
Entering the 15th Five-Year Plan period, CIFIT will continue to serve as a bridge connecting global capital, industries, and innovation resources. By promoting deeper international cooperation and inclusive economic globalization, the Fair will contribute to building a more open world economy.
With openness as its foundation and cooperation as its driving force, CIFIT continues to demonstrate that shared opportunities and shared development remain essential pathways toward a more connected global future.
Contact Info:
Name: Lu Yu Hang
Email: Send Email
Organization: China International Fair for Investment & Trade
Website: https://www.chinafair.org.cn/
Release ID: 89205077
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