China remains an attractive destination for foreign investment, with nearly 4,800 foreign-funded companies increasing their investment in the country in the first half of 2026, according to a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on Thursday.

During the first six months of the year, China saw the establishment of new foreign-invested enterprises rise 5.3% year-on-year, with foreign direct investment (FDI) in actual use reaching 402.1 billion yuan ($59.2 billion). The structure of foreign investment continued to improve, with investment in high-tech industries surging 33.2% year-on-year, accounting for 42.4% of the total.

The Ministry of Commerce said it will further implement policies encouraging foreign investment, guiding overseas investors toward advanced manufacturing sectors, including organic polymer materials and energy-efficient magnetic levitation power equipment, as well as modern services such as humanoid robot R&D and high-end shipping services.

More support will also be provided to encourage foreign investment in central, western and northeastern regions of China.

The ministry said it will introduce measures to promote the transformation of foreign-invested service industries toward greater integration and digitalization, while supporting the upgrading of both producer and consumer services. Policies supporting foreign-funded R&D centers will be further improved to facilitate the recruitment of overseas high-level talent and strengthen support for turning innovation into commercial applications.

The press conference also highlighted that China will continue to focus on high-quality development as its top priority, improve policy effectiveness, strengthen the domestic economic cycle and enhance the integration of domestic and international markets.

As part of efforts to expand domestic demand, China has implement a government plan on expanding consumption during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), accelerating the growth of service consumption in areas including integrated rail tourism, high-quality home services and the automotive aftermarket. Support measures will also be introduced in sectors such as transportation, performances and sporting events to encourage new consumption drivers.

Green consumption continues to gain momentum. In June, new energy vehicles accounted for 62.8% of retail sales of new cars in China, meaning more than six out of every 10 new vehicles sold were powered by new energy.