He Yongqian, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce Photo: Yin Yeping/GT

Chinese companies' outbound investment maintained healthy, stable and orderly growth under the guidance of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation in 2025, said He Yongqian, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), on Thursday when answering media queries on the performance of Chinese companies' overseas investment in 2025, the outlook for 2026 and how the Chinese government plans to help companies address challenges in operating abroad at a regular press conference.

As of the end of 2025, Chinese companies had established more than 50,000 enterprises overseas in 190 countries and regions. China's outward investment stock has ranked among the world's top three for nine consecutive years, the spokesperson said at a press conference, noting that outward direct investment in 2025 reached $174.38 billion, up 7.1 percent year-on-year, remaining among the world's leading levels.

At the same time, Chinese companies going global have actively fulfilled their social responsibilities, creating more than 2 million jobs each year. They have invested in and built a large number of livelihood-oriented projects in education, healthcare, environmental protection and other areas, earning broad recognition and praise from all sectors in host countries, said the spokesperson.

China's continuous and steady outward investment is not only a reflection of China's high-quality opening-up but also an important driver of global investment. This is closely linked to China's efforts to promote development in developing countries worldwide and to advance cooperation with the Global South, Li Yong, an executive council member of the China Society for WTO Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday.

This is also consistent with the Belt and Road Initiative, with priorities such as connectivity and infrastructure development clearly reflected in China's outward investment practices, the expert said, noting that rising outward investment also demonstrates China's active commitment to free trade and openness to cooperation.

At a time when global economic growth remains weak and trade protectionism is on the rise, China's outward investment is injecting stability and certainty into the global economy, Li said, noting that through outbound investment, China is not only advancing its own industrial and manufacturing capabilities, but is also helping to enhance global manufacturing capacity.

Moreover, by investing abroad, China provides momentum for local economic development, raises development standards, and creates jobs.

The year 2026 marks the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). The spokesperson said that the ministry will effectively carry out the management of outbound investment, improve the comprehensive overseas service system, and promote the integrated development of trade and investment.

Moreover, the MOFCOM will support enterprises in international operations, deepen cooperation in emerging fields such as the digital economy and green development, and make greater contributions to the stable growth of the world economy, said the spokesperson.

According to a macroeconomic outlook released by KPMG, guided by its continued commitment to opening-up, China's cross-border investment is set to enter a new stage of higher-quality and more efficient development in 2026. Both the scale of China's outward investment and the share of overseas revenue generated by Chinese companies are expected to rise further this year, the outlook projected.

Li also said that as the country moves through 2026, this outward investment trend is expected to continue serving as an important contributor to the world.