Global Times: Believing in China, believing in tomorrow

BEIJING, April 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- "Believing in China" has become a buzz phrase this spring. 

"For us, opportunities exist in all Chinese cities" and "China's scientific and technological innovation ecosystem injects surging momentum into promoting global coordinated development"... The annual meetings of the three high-level forums, the China Development Forum, the Boao Forum for Asia, and the Zhongguancun Forum, have been held one after another and "giving the world reason for optimism about China's outlook" has become a general consensus.

International pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced that it will establish its sixth global strategic R&D center in Beijing. Shanghai Pudong welcomed 13 more regional headquarters of multinational corporations and four more foreign-funded R&D centers... Global chairmen and chief executive officers of foreign businesses visited China intensively, and "going to China" has become the firm choice of many foreign investors.

At a time when the world economy is in turmoil, why has "believing in China" become a unanimous belief?

"Embracing China is embracing opportunities, believing in China is believing in a better tomorrow, and investing in China is investing in the future," President Xi Jinping said while meeting with representatives of the international business community in Beijing on March 28.

Belief comes from confidence. As an "oasis of certainty," China is injecting confidence, momentum and positive energy into the development of the world economy.

Innovation advantage

Believing in China, because China firmly regards high-quality development as its top priority and develops new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions.

"China is always surprising the world with new things," the words of former US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez represent the change in the perception of China among many international observers.

From the "world factory" to the "innovation laboratory," China's innovation and development has accumulated a lot of strength and has great potential. In the first two months of this year, the output of high-tech products such as industrial robots, bullet trains, and civil drones in China increased by 27 percent, 64 percent, and 91.5 percent year-on-year, respectively, and the growth of innovative products such as "AI plus" has accelerated.

Today, more and more foreign companies regard innovation as the biggest opportunity for investing in China. 

China is no longer just a manufacturing center; it is a global innovation powerhouse, said Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH.

China's development has never relied on "predatory behavior" to change the rules of the game, but rather on seeking its own development space in market competition through active innovation. At present, China has built more than 30,000 basic-level smart factories, more than 1,200 advanced-level smart factories, and more than 230 excellent-level smart factories, which will effectively enable industrial transformation and upgrading. 

Believing in China, because China "stands firm on the right side of history and the side of human civilization's progress."

Opening door wider

China's policy measures to expand high-level opening-up resonate with the needs of multinational companies to maintain the stability of the industrial and supply chain, injecting valuable certainty into the world economy.

Everyone is willing to make friends with China because they are attracted by China's concept of coexistence in harmony. The common development concept has brought more exchanges in cooperation areas: among the snow-capped mountains of Kyrgyzstan, tunnel engineering vehicles of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway roar day and night; with the Port of Chancay in Peru as a link, Colombia and Ecuador have opened new routes to China...

"The interests to be considered should be the interests of all." This is China's vision, and this is China's action.

From launching pilot projects to expand opening-up in the fields of value-added telecommunications and biotechnology, to support domestic and foreign-funded enterprises equally in participating in large-scale equipment upgrades, consumer goods trade-in and other activities; from expanding the "visa-free circle of friends" to "China Travel" becoming trendy on the internet...an open China allows the world to share development opportunities.

"International cooperation is not an option, but a necessity," said Mustafa Shenhu, president of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations.

We must solidly promote high-level opening up, not only making good use of the global market and resources to develop ourselves, but also promoting the common development of the world. This is the open pursuit that China has always held.

Remarkable resilience

Believing in China, because China always "grows in the wind and rain, and gets stronger through hard times." 

Despite facing headwinds in the global economy, China's economy has still demonstrated remarkable resilience, as foreign media has given a fair evaluation of China's economic performance since last year.

Around 5 percent, a growth target that once got on people's nerves. Last year, due to various factors, China's economy faced an unfavorable situation of unstable market expectations and confidence, as well as a decline in the growth rate of key indicators.

A package of incremental policies was introduced intensively, becoming "a milestone move in macroeconomic regulation," which not only stabilized economic growth but also enhanced the resilience and vitality of economic development.

The hard-earned 5 percent has shown the international community the strong resilience of the Chinese economy and the bright prospects for high-quality development.

Compared to last year's doubts, this year's growth target of around 5 percent for China is winning increasing external recognition. Foreign financial institutions generally believe that the continued effective implementation of various macro policies this year will accumulate more positive factors, driving China's economy to continue to recover and improve.

In the face of wind and rain, a solid economic foundation, the advantage of an ultra-large-scale market, and a complete industrial system have given China strong confidence to cope with challenges. As a foreign guest at the China Development Forum said, "China possesses all the elements needed for future growth."

With institutional advantages, market potential, and enterprise vitality, by focusing on running its own affairs well, the resilient Chinese economy will surely become even stronger after the storm.

We are now on the right path and must press ahead. 

Believing in China, believing in tomorrow.

The article was originally published on the front page of the People's Daily on April 11, 2025.

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SOURCE Global Times