Against a backdrop of war and global uncertainty, Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered a clear message at the recent China Development Forum: China is committed to being a “harbour of stability” for the world. The forum, which drew CEOs from global companies such as Siemens, Nestlé and Apple, signalled to the world that while the United States flails, China offers reliability and steady governance.
Even before the US-Israeli war on Iran, however, my inbox was already telling me that something was shifting. Folks I hadn’t spoken to in nearly a decade were suddenly reaching out, and they were all talking about the same thing: China.
Interest in entering or re-entering China has quadrupled year on year at our firm just for the first three months of 2026. Executives from Southeast Asia, Europe and the Middle East are asking me: is now the right time to engage with China? Some are cautious, others urgent. But all of them are paying attention.
Evidence of renewed global interest in China is growing. Although headline foreign direct investment figures remain under pressure from global capital reallocation, the underlying signals are clear; opportunities are strong. Last year, China welcomed more than 70,000 new foreign‑invested enterprises, marking a 19 per cent increase.
In the hi-tech sectors, the findings are even more of an eye opener. Foreign investment surged by over 75 per cent in China’s e-commerce services and by 42 per cent in medical instruments and medical device manufacturing last year.
Tourism tells the same story. China recorded more than 150 million tourist visits last year, up by 17 per cent, with spending surpassing US$130 billion, a 40 per cent jump. Thanks to China’s increasingly relaxed entry policies, more than 30 million foreigners entered visa-free. This number is expected to jump again this year with Britain and Canada added to the list of nations exempt from visa requirements – a lengthy process that had long deterred Western travellers.
