The sixth Qingdao Multinationals Summit was held in the coastal city of Qingdao, eastern China's Shandong Province on Wednesday, drawing over 570 global enterprises representatives from 43 countries and regions, with hot topics covering advanced agricultural, green energy and artificial intelligence.

Data from Qingdao Municipal Publicity Department shows that this year, 131 first-time attendees accounted for 23 percent of the total participants, with companies from 9 countries including Vietnam and Egypt participating for the first time. Among them, over 50 percent of the multinational enterprises came from emerging markets. Themed with "Multinationals and China: Connecting the World for Win-Win Cooperation", the summit demonstrated China's growing appeal as a hub for global business collaboration.

Osama Kokandy, executive director of the Saudi-Southeast Asia Business Council, made his first appearance at the summit and praised the collaborative atmosphere. He said that Saudi Arabia has five economic zones that are actively seeking collaboration with China. "I've focused on artificial intelligence and high-end manufacturing during this summit, and I believe there is huge potential for cooperation," he added.

Belinda Tanoto, managing director at RGE (Royal Golden Eagle), reaffirmed China's strategic role in their global business strategy, saying China remains one of the biggest market around the world.

In 2024, China's actual utilized foreign investment reached 826.25 billion yuan ($114.9 billion), remaining at a historically high level, according to the Ministry of Commerce. From January to April this year, 18,832 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, marking an increase of 12.1 percent year-on-year.

"Over the past 15 years, our orders from China have accounted for 20 to 25 percent of our total global revenue. This shows the enormous potential of the Chinese market. Understanding China and deepening ties with Chinese partners is crucial for us," said Pablo Rodríguez-González, general manager at IBARMIA China, during the summit.

Meanwhile, Haier Group's CEO Zhou Yunjie said the summit has brought many opportunities for cooperation in building efficient and secure global supply chains.

"One notable example from our signed agreements is a joint project between Haier and an Algerian company through which Haier is offering technologies related to refrigerators and smart industries. We aim to build a home appliance industrial park in Algeria to serve the wider African market," Zhou said.

The Qingdao Multinationals Summit serves not only as a platform for exchange but also a key window for policy communication. As stated in the keynote address by Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng at the opening ceremony, China will remain steadfast in advancing high-standard opening-up and welcome global multinationals and entrepreneurs to invest and grow their businesses in the country.