BEIJING: By pushing the expansion of high-level opening-up and proactively sharing its vast market, China is emerging as a source of certainty for international businesses, offering stable demand and long-term growth opportunities at a time when global economic recovery remains fragile and trade fragmentation is intensifying, government officials and business leaders said.
By further opening its supersized market to global businesses, China is looking to offset rising protectionism and policy uncertainty elsewhere while providing multinational companies with clearer market signals and more reliable access to growth, they said.
Speaking at the launch of the Beijing International Premium Products Event for “Big Market for All: Export to China”, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said that the event reflects China’s proactive efforts to further open up, expand imports and promote more balanced trade growth. “China remains dedicated to turning its vast market into one that benefits the whole world, expanding the pie of cooperation, jointly tackling development challenges, upholding the multilateral trading system and free trade, and injecting positive momentum into the global economy,” Wang said.
Data from the General Administration of Customs showed that China’s imports totaled 18.48 trillion yuan ($2.66 trillion) in 2025, accounting for around 10 percent of global imports. The record level has maintained China’s status as the world’s second-largest import market for the 17th consecutive year, reinforcing the role of its supersized market as a stable source of demand and an anchor for global trade at a time of heightened uncertainty.
For the world’s second-largest importer, pursuing a more balanced development of imports and exports has long been a strategic priority. The approach has been incorporated into key policy recommendations for formulating China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), underscoring the country’s emphasis on leveraging the domestic market to support both national development and global economic stability.
This year, the Ministry of Commerce will organize more than 100 diverse import promotion events to bring together and match global sellers with Chinese buyers, ensuring that not only quality products and services enter the Chinese market, but more important, that they can achieve strong sales.
Beijing, in particular, is demonstrating notable capability in boosting imports as it moves toward becoming one of China’s international consumption centers.
Beijing Mayor Yin Yong said the Chinese capital remains committed to driving reform and development through opening-up, fostering deeper integration between imports and consumption, and striving to build itself into a preferred gateway for high-quality global products and services entering the Chinese market. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
