Business & IndustryAnalysis
China Expands Investment Fair with Delegations from 123 Countries
The 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade relocates to a larger venue, highlighting green power, computing, and financial services.
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Михаил Лазарев via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
The Brief
The 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) is set to open in Xiamen, Fujian province, featuring delegations from 123 countries and regions. The event has expanded its exhibition area to a record 200,000 square meters at the Xiamen International Expo Center. Featuring Finland and Saudi Arabia as joint guests of honor, the fair highlights emerging investment priorities, including artificial intelligence, computing capacity, and green energy, while expanding its dedicated financial zone to host 140 leading financial institutions and listed firms.
Why it matters
The substantial expansion of CIFIT's floor space and the participation of over 120 global delegations reflect China's efforts to stabilize foreign investment and showcase market access. By establishing dual guest-of-honor nations and doubling the size of its financial pavilion, the fair serves as a key barometer for how global capital interacts with China's evolving industrial and green supply chains amidst shifting trade dynamics.
China context
Faced with global fluctuations in cross-border capital, Chinese commerce authorities are promoting the 'Invest in China' initiative through regular foreign enterprise roundtables and project support teams. Ministry of Commerce officials note that multinational investment is shifting away from pure cost-reduction toward high-value inputs like green electricity, computing power, and collaborative domestic innovation ecosystems.
Editor's View
EDITOR'S VIEW — Analysis and inference, not factual reporting.
The heavy institutional emphasis on financial services and high-tech supply chains at CIFIT indicates that Beijing is pivoting its investment attraction strategy toward high-end technological integration. While official figures point to a 4.4% rise in newly established foreign-invested firms through July, the broader test remains whether interest from high-level delegations translates into sustained long-term capital commitments amid complex geopolitical headwinds.
What to watch
- Outcomes and bilateral agreements emerging from the Finland and Saudi Arabia guest-of-honor pavilions.
- Project deal flows and contract signings across the 16 scheduled 'Invest in China' matchmaking sessions.
- Policy insights and global capital flow analyses published during UNCTAD's concurrent Future Investment Conference.
Key Takeaways
- 1CIFIT expanded its exhibition area to 200,000 square meters at the Xiamen International Expo Center.
- 2Delegations from 123 countries and regions are registered, with 60 countries and regions setting up physical exhibitions.
- 3Finland and Saudi Arabia serve as the fair's first dual guests of honor.
- 4The financial exhibition zone doubled in size, hosting 140 leading financial institutions and listed companies.
- 5China registered 37,711 newly established foreign-invested enterprises in the first seven months of the year, up 4.4% year-on-year.
Preparations are underway for the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT), scheduled to take place from September 8 to 11 in Xiamen, Fujian province. According to briefings from the State Council Information Office, delegations from 123 countries and regions have registered to attend, with exhibitors from 60 countries and regions participating.
The fair has moved entirely to the Xiamen International Expo Center, expanding its exhibition area from 120,000 square meters in previous editions to 200,000 square meters. For the first time, CIFIT has designated dual guests of honor, naming Finland and Saudi Arabia. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will also hold its Future Investment Conference alongside the event.
Organized around three main themes—'Invest in China,' 'China Investment,' and 'International Investment'—the fair incorporates 14 specialized exhibition zones covering areas such as international supply chains, new productive forces, and maritime logistics. The fair's financial zone has doubled in size and institutional participation compared to the previous year, attracting 140 leading financial institutions and listed enterprises.
Fujian Vice Governor Zhao Zenglian stated that the province has prepared 828 investment projects for advance matchmaking, with invitations extended to more than 2,600 major business guests. An upgraded digital platform will support capital and project matchmaking online.
Ling Ji, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative, highlighted changing patterns in multinational investment, noting shifts from cost-driven to value-driven models that prioritize computing power, green electricity, and domestic innovation ecosystems. Commerce officials also noted that 37,711 new foreign-invested enterprises were established in China between January and July, representing a 4.4% year-on-year increase, alongside a narrowing decline in utilized foreign capital.
Sources
- 123个国家和地区的代表团报名参加投洽会 — State Council of China · 8/26/2026
- 持续打造“投资中国”品牌 --经济·科技--人民网 — People's Daily · 8/26/2026