With $750bn in Past FDI Inflows, Beijing Pitches a Two-Way Investment Street at CIFIT Preview

Sixteen weeks before the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade opens in Xiamen, the Ministry of Commerce staged a promotion conference in the capital on Wednesday that signalled a shift in China’s investment narrative toward two-way flows.

The September 8–11 fair, themed “expanding two-way investment and promoting global development,” is structured around three pillars: Investment in China, China’s Investment, and International Investment — a deliberate framing that invites foreign capital inward while showcasing Chinese outbound investment.

The Canadians: Sector-Specific, Not Sentimental

David Perez-Des Rosiers, chief representative of the Canada China Business Council in Beijing, said Canadian commercial interest had sharpened following the prime minister’s recent visit. The sectors he named — energy, wood products, consumer goods, and agri-food — track economic fundamentals rather than sentiment. CIFIT, he said, would serve as “a great platform for Canadian companies to learn more about investing in China, but also to promote investment opportunities in Canada.”

Azerbaijan: From Portfolio to Direct Deals

Natig Khalilov, chief adviser at Azerbaijan’s embassy, signalled that Baku intends to move from indirect financial exposure to direct equity. The country’s sovereign wealth fund has already made portfolio investments in China and is now looking for direct opportunities. On the outbound side, he cited BYD’s electric bus joint venture with Azerbaijani firms as a model to replicate with other EV manufacturers.

Mauritius: The Intermediary’s Pitch

Ambassador Gaetan Siew Hew Sam of Mauritius pitched the island as a financial and logistics bridge to African markets, noting that Bank of China already runs a regional hub there. China’s recent extension of zero-tariff treatment to all African diplomatic partners, he argued, strengthens that conduit for trade and investment flows.

The Numbers Behind the Narrative

Ministry of Commerce figures: cumulative utilized foreign investment exceeded $750 billion over 2021–25, while outbound investment reached 190 countries and regions. The negative list for foreign investment has been shortened, all manufacturing access restrictions lifted, and pilot openings in value-added telecoms and biotechnology are expanding.

For global investor relations teams and trade agencies that use CIFIT as an annual barometer, Wednesday’s preview confirmed a direction: the fair will be framed around reciprocity, not mere absorption. Whether that yields transactions depends on the matchmaking in Xiamen and the negotiations that follow.