Foreign ambassadors eye more on Chinese investments
Zhou Jiaxin

November may be winding down, but it's been a dynamic month for China's opening-up efforts.

Shanghai welcomed tens of thousands to the second annual China International Import Expo earlier this month. And this week in Beijing, many Chinese investors were encouraged to "go global" at the 11th China Overseas Investment Fair.

This year, in the first 10 months alone, over 90 billion U.S. dollars of China's non-financial outbound direct investment has been made in 164 countries and regions, up 5.9 percent year on year against trade headwinds.

Still, foreign embassies and businesses at the fair are eyeing on a bigger piece of the pie.

The 2nd China International Import Expo in Shanghai. /VCG Photo

The 2nd China International Import Expo in Shanghai. /VCG Photo

"Keep on going!" said Jose Agusto Duarte, the Portuguese ambassador to China, adding that Chinese investors who started their businesses in the country for years have really contributed to its economic development.

In Ethiopia, there are about four billion U.S. dollars of Chinese investments already on the ground, according to its ambassador to China, Teshome Toga Chanaka, to CGTN. And given China's strong opening-up policy, the country will receive more investment and meet a higher-level growth.

Aside from their confidence in Chinese overseas investors, they also expressed concerns over China-U.S. trade frictions, hoping the two economies will soon resolve disputes and restore global trade order.

Lindsay Liu, president of the Council of American States in China, said governors and U.S. delegations still visit China for opportunities despite the differences between the two sides.

"For example, the governors of Indiana and Arkansas visited China last month and resulted in recruiting several Chinese companies to invest in the U.S.," Liu said.

This year's investment fair is themed "Collaborating on High Quality Construction for Prosperous Belt and Road Development."

Among exhibitors who have joined China's Belt and Road Initiative, Portugal is new.

"For the moment, the biggest result of the Belt and Road MoU is expectation — not just politically but economically — that could give more contributions to the development and links between nations, creating new jobs and new economic interests, and enterprises can benefit both sides," said the Portuguese diplomat.