The 2025 New Year Dialogue Between Diplomats and Business Leaders is held in Beijing on April 28, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of the China General Chamber of Commerce

Multiple foreign officials and business representatives said on Monday that China's continuous opening-up efforts have created opportunities for countries around the world. At an event in Beijing, they also voiced concerns about rising protectionism, particularly in light of US tariffs.

The event, titled the 2025 New Year Dialogue Between Diplomats and Business Leaders, marked its eighth edition this year. It attracted hundreds of participants, including government officials and business leaders from various countries, who showcased their products and services and explored partnership opportunities with Chinese companies.

This year's event saw the signing of several deals between Chinese and foreign businesses, as well as the strengthening of international cooperation among enterprises, further enhancing the level and quality of collaboration. Also at the event, the China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC), the organizer, launched an international trade information service platform, offering real-time updates on trade data and information to companies around the world.

"What's really struck me here is the number of nations that were represented here, either through their national trade associations or through their diplomatic missions at their embassies... I think, in terms of getting an understanding from the perspective of the Chinese companies that were here in attendance, it's been valuable for them to understand what various markets can offer as they look to grow into export and build bridges with the markets of those countries," Kiran Patel, senior director of China-Britain Business Council, told the Global Times at the event.

This is a great networking platform and a great matchmaking as it offers a lot of connections in terms of both trade and investment opportunities, Jelena Grubor Stefanovic, director of the representative office of Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, also told the Global Times at the event.

"I think this is going to be a new bridge going forward in my work here, in terms of both opportunities for Chinese businesses interested in going abroad and opportunities for foreign companies — especially Serbian companies on my end — looking to enter this market," Stefanovic said.

Stefanovic noted that she is very happy to see that "China keeps leading the way in terms of opening-up and really being a beacon, pushing forward free trade and promoting more mutual trade and mutual benefits."

She gave the example of the fruitful results from the bilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. "It has created jobs, upgraded our basic infrastructure, and brought a lot of know-how from Chinese companies operating in Serbia," she noted.

As the US has imposed additional tariffs on countries around the world, fueling growing uncertainty and unpredictability in the global economic and trade landscape, opposition and concern were also expressed by foreign officials and business representatives at the event.

Commenting on the US' tariffs, Patel said that "I think we all have concerns about how tariffs are going to disrupt global trade... It's probably the most transformative kind of impact since the 1930s."

"We've grown up in an era of free trade and globalization. And this is very much a reset — a transformative kind of impact... If you run or operate a business, the uncertainties right now are as high as they've been, because we've been used to a very normalized, predictable mode of trading," Patel said.

Patel said that China and the UK have a fundamental sort of trust and pragmatism in the economic relationship. He expressed hope that this trust, along with the strong relations between the two countries, will help inject more positive impetus into a world of growing complexity.

Commenting on the US tariffs on countries worldwide, Teymur Nadiroghlu, trade representative of Azerbaijan to China, said that "we believe in fair trade, a system where countries can freely trade with each other, benefiting all the players around the world. It's not a zero-sum game where somebody wins and somebody loses."

"Since Azerbaijan is an oil- and gas-producing country, strong global economic growth is important for us," Nadiroghlu told the Global Times. "Businesses and economies require stability. The business community also strives for stability because if there is no stability, no predictability, and no clear vision or strategy, investments will stop, trade will falter, and that will eventually hurt the global economy, affecting every country - no matter which continent you're on."

Nadiroghlu praised China's efforts in continuing its opening-up to the world and the opportunities it shares with other countries. "I believe China was, is, and will continue to be an increasingly important market for the entire world. The size of the Chinese market and its consumption make it a very important factor for every country and the region as a whole including Azerbaijan," Nadiroghlu said.

Speaking at the event, Jiang Ming, president of the CGCC, noted that the current international situation is undergoing profound and complex changes, with increasing instability and uncertainty. 

"The multilateral trading system is being undermined, constraining the global economic recovery process," Jiang said. "However, we also firmly believe that crises often bring new opportunities. China's economy continues to demonstrate strong resilience and vitality, injecting steady momentum into global economic development."