He Yongqian: Friends from the press, good afternoon. Welcome to the regular press conference of the Ministry of Commerce. Let me start by sharing a piece of information with you.

First, China's overseas investment cooperation in January and February 2025

In the first two months of 2025, China's outbound direct investment in non-financial assets reached USD22.97 billion, up 9.1 percent year on year. In particular, investment by Chinese enterprises in non-financial assets in Belt and Road partner countries reached USD5.52 billion, up 17.6 percent year on year.

From January to February, the revenue of overseas projects contracted by Chinese companies reached USD18.34 billion, down 5.6 percent year on year. The value of newly signed contracts reached USD35.34 billion, up 28.7 percent year-on-year. In particular, the revenue of projects contracted by Chinese enterprises in Belt and Road partner countries was USD15.06 billion, down 5.2 percent year-on-year. The value of newly signed contracts reached USD30.92 billion, up by 33.7 percent year-on-year.

That is all I have to share with you. Now I am ready to take your questions.

The floor is open.

Shanghai Securities News: Minister Wang Wentao was in Shanghai recently to study the integration of domestic and foreign trade and the sales of foreign trade products in domestic market. Could you brief us on the measures that the Ministry of Commerce will take to promote the integration of domestic and foreign trade and help foreign trade enterprises expand their sales in China?

He Yongqian : Thank you for your interest in the integration of domestic and foreign trade. Promoting the integration of domestic and foreign trade is crucial for building a new development pattern. The aim is to help enterprises make better use of the domestic and global markets and resources, and switch smoothly between the two markets so that they can reinforce each other and grow in coordination.

In the face of the complex, grave and increasingly uncertain external environment, China's enormous domestic market provides strong support for foreign trade enterprises. While we encourage enterprises to unlock diverse markets abroad, we will take four measures to help them tap into the domestic market and effectively cope with external challenges.

First, we will organize activities to promote the domestic sales of premium foreign trade products. The first priority this year is to launch the Premium Foreign Trade Goods China Tour, a platform specially built for foreign trade enterprises to expand domestic sales. To achieve this goal, we will take a "1+10+N" approach, namely, hold a launching ceremony, rely on the role of 10 major economic provinces, and carry out various forms of exhibition, marketing, matchmaking and negotiation activities. For example, we will encourage key pedestrian streets and business districts to hold promotional activities, and set up exhibition areas for premium foreign trade products at important exhibitions. We will also encourage major e-commerce platforms to open special areas for matchmaking of distribution channels, brands, and suppliers and buyers.

Second, we will work on the harmonization of internal and external standards and certifications. We will work with relevant departments to study the alignment between foreign trade standards and certification, organize comparisons between domestic and international standards to improve the consistency of domestic and foreign standards, remove the bottlenecks of domestic sales of exported products, and reduce the cost of businesses to switch between markets.

Third, we will intensify policy support for integrating domestic and foreign trade. While we ensure compliance with WTO rules, we will make good use of existing capitals to support enterprises in exploring markets. We will implement credit insurance policy for domestic trade and support enterprises in diversifying risks by applying for insurance. We will also encourage financial institutions to increase support in financing and interest rates.

Fourth, we will build comprehensive service platforms. Considering that foreign trade enterprises are not familiar with the domestic market, we will build and strengthen public service platforms and comprehensive service enterprises for domestic and foreign trade integration to provide high-quality and efficient one-stop services, from policy consultation, standard certification, to market development and finance and insurance. Thank you.

Southern Metropolis Daily: After the two sessions, many foreign-invested enterprises are very concerned about the measures and activities the Ministry of Commerce will implement this year to stabilize foreign investment. Could the spokesperson briefly introduce them?

He Yongqian: Since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Commerce, together with competent departments, has continued to collect common issues and needs reflected by foreign-invested enterprises through channels such as foreign enterprise roundtable meetings, foreign enterprise service task forces, and complaint mechanisms. Based on existing policies such as the 24 measures for attracting foreign investment, we launched the 2025 Action Plan for Stabilizing Foreign Investment and introduced 20 practical measures to stabilize foreign investment. Recently, we held a special press conference to provide more details.

Moving forward, the Ministry of Commerce will take the following steps to fully stabilize foreign investment while focusing on implementing the action plan.

First, expand pilot programs to open up more sectors. Last year, we promoted pilot programs in some regions to open up sectors such as value-added telecommunications, biotechnology, and wholly foreign-owned hospitals. Currently, 13 foreign enterprises have been approved to provide value-added telecommunications services, over 40 foreign-invested enterprises have implemented biotechnology projects, and three new wholly foreign-owned hospitals have been approved. Many foreign-invested projects in these pilot sectors are also advancing. This year, we will continue to accelerate the implementation of pilot programs in relevant sectors, steadily expand the scope of the pilots, and focus on further expanding pilot programs in areas such as education and culture.

Second, continuously build the “Invest in China” brand. In February, we held “Invest in China” foreign investment policy briefings in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, which were widely welcomed by Japanese companies. We are also preparing to conduct a series of “Invest in China” events in key and emerging investment source regions, including Europe, the United States, South Korea, Singapore, and the Middle East. Additionally, we will focus on organizing the 25th China International Fair for Investment and Trade, aiming to make it a landmark event for “Invest in China”. During the China International Import Expo, we will host thematic promotional events for free trade zones and other topics. We will also support local governments in conducting investment promotion activities in line with local conditions under the “Invest in China” framework, targeting key countries in a well-regulated manner.

Third, continuously optimize services and the business environment. Since establishing the foreign enterprise roundtable meeting mechanism in 2023, the Ministry of Commerce has organized over 30 roundtable meetings and resolved more than 500 difficulties and requests from foreign-invested enterprises. This year, we have launched the ‘Service Support for Foreign Enterprises’ initiative to create a communication and assistance platform featuring swift responsiveness and no unnecessary interference, actively addressing challenges faced by foreign-invested enterprises in China. We will treat domestic and foreign enterprises equally, supporting their participation in large-scale equipment upgrades, consumer goods trade-ins, government procurement, invitation and submission of bids and other activities, providing a level playing field for foreign enterprises. Thank you.

Japan Jiji Press Reporter: The sixth China-Japan High-level Economic Dialogue will be held again on March 22 after six years. What are the expectations of the Ministry of Commerce for this dialogue?

He Yongqian: After mutual consultations, the sixth China-Japan High-level Economic Dialogue will be held in Tokyo, Japan, on March 22. The China-Japan relationship is showing a momentum of improvement and development, featuring deep economic integration with closely linked industrial and supply chains. The dialogue is an important measure to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, and its resumption after six years holds significant importance. China is willing to work with Japan to promote pragmatic outcomes through the dialogue and foster healthy and stable development of China-Japan economic and trade relations. Thank you.