Despite a still anemic world economy charged with rising isolationist sentiment, China's cooperation with other countries keeps growing, with recently released data showing that it became Germany's largest trading partner in 2016.[Special coverage]
The increase of China-Germany trade, observers say, serves as yet another signal indicative of Beijing's steadfast commitment to its decades-old opening-up policy, which has benefited both China and the world at large.
OPEN DOOR, OPEN ARMS
Official statistics published Friday showed that the China-Germany trade amounted to 170 billion euros (about 180.3 billion U.S. dollars) in 2016, which meant China overtook the United States as Germany's top trading partner.
Beyond Germany, the broader Europe is also witnessing an increasingly active and fruitful cooperation with China. Trade between China and the European Union (EU) grew by 3 percent year on year to over 3.6 trillion yuan (525 billion dollars) in 2016.
Against the backdrop of a gloomy world economic growth, that once again demonstrated China's willingness to establish closer ties with the rest of the world, Ruan Zongze, vice president of the China Institute of International Studies, told Xinhua.
Other indicators abound. For example, China has established railway connections with five of its 14 neighbors and the number is expected to increase soon. It has been the largest source of outbound tourists since 2013, contributing more than 13 percent to global tourism revenues.
In the eyes of foreign investors, China is becoming an increasingly attractive destination. A report from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said that China received 139 billion dollars of foreign direct investment in 2016, ranking third in the world just behind the United States and Britain.
In 2016, Beijing amended laws on foreign investment and rolled out measures to further simplify approval procedures for foreign companies. In January 2017, the government announced that it will further open the mining, infrastructure, services and technology sectors to foreign investment.
China will continue to be one of the most alluring destinations for foreign investment due to its fast growth and easier access, said James Zhan, a UNCTAD official in charge of investment and enterprise.
"China will keep its door wide open and not close it," said Chinese President Xi Jinping in a keynote speech at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos in January.
