In the third episode of CGTN's special series "Common Destiny," we zoom in on how China is "opening wider to the world." We profile the challenges the People's Republic of China faced in attracting foreign capital in its early years, to its trailblazing reform and opening-up that transformed the country into one of the top investment destinations in the world. 

Western sanctions intended to cripple a renewed China following the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. But the can-do spirit of the Chinese people refused to be isolated from the international community. Along with initial support from Eastern European socialist countries, a budding People's Republic of China began to gradually connect with the world, one shipping lane at a time.

In 1978, China launched its reform and opening-up. The country began to embrace global capital, sparking a series of policies that unbolted China's domestic markets and unleashed the potential of a massive consumer class. These policies created China's first special economic zones. It brought in the first wholly foreign-owned enterprise and four decades later propelled the Chinese mainland into the second most attractive destination for foreign direct investment. As China enters into a new era of opening-up, measures are constantly being put into place to further improve the country's business environment with policymakers committed to offering foreign companies fresh opportunities in the Chinese market. 

The influx of foreign investment also helped advance China's then nascent capital markets. Starting from almost zero, China developed into the largest financial market in terms of total assets. New avenues of financing thrust Chinese capital abroad with Chinese investment now supporting millions of jobs overseas. As China opens its doors wider, it's also engaging more with the international community to finance economic development. From the Belt and Road Initiative to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, China-proposed development initiatives are raising living standards worldwide and spurring regional connectivity.