China’s New Global Playbook—From Exporter to Investor

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China is moving from a global exporter to an investor, directly into areas of US focus.

As US President Donald Trump has increased US influence in Venezuela, Iran and Greenland this year, one of the immediate concerns of China is its local investments.

Speaking in Davos on Tuesday, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng called on global leaders to ensure a fair and predictable environment for Chinese businesses operating overseas.

Substantial investment is being made in factories and technology. China’s trade surplus is a a record figure – 1.2 trillion dollars Beijing deals and contracts in 2025 Belt and Road countries Don’t start rose to new heights. Latin America, the Middle East and Africa are key areas of initiative, widely seen as channels for China to build global influence.

The Financial Times’ FDI Intelligence survey has predicted by 2026. China will be the biggest source In 2026, the volume of foreign direct investment surpassed the United Arab Emirates, followed by India. USA tied for fourth place with Saudi Arabia.

The composition of this investment is also changing. More China’s foreign investment inside technology and productionin part because the tariffs encourage Chinese electric car companies to isolate production overseas.

Global businesses and leaders are interested in how China’s technology is developing.

In the past six months, Beijing-based autonomous delivery vehicle company Neolix has begun receiving global visitors, including logistics businesses and France’s Ministry of Transport, Neolix Executive President Ville Zhao said last week.

“2025 is the year we really start to make that connection with potential global partners,” he said, who include consultants or lawyers working with local authorities on vehicle management.

“Many countries are looking for our investment in manufacturing,” Zhao said.

Neolyx Obtained an operating license in the UAE at the end of last year and announced a strategic alliance with a Portuguese mobility company earlier this month. Zhao said the company plans to deploy more than 10,000 autonomous delivery vehicles outside of China this year and enter three new countries, ideally Europe.

But Chinese companies need not look far for overseas expansion.

Global investment firm KKR says trade in Asia is a “mega-theme” for the year ahead in 2026. macro forecast. “For us in the Republic of Korea, this is a massive, secular trend with real investment potential that spans logistics, manufacturing, consumer markets and digital.”

China has increased its market share not only through exports, but also by establishing local operations in countries such as Vietnam.

“One of the emerging benefits for the region is the increased frequency of countries transacting in yuan, a trend that has accelerated post-Covid,” it said.

The trend has been picking up since Trump’s latest round of global tariffs.

In 2024, 60% of Asia’s trade will be intra-regional, which KKR predicts will grow by 8% over the next few years. A key factor, the report says, is that more than 800 million millennials in the region are about to reach the age of spending more.

Underscoring changes in global trade, Southeast Asia has become Beijing’s largest trading partner and helped China’s global exports grow by 5.5% last year. 20% off shipments to the US due to the trade war.

US logistics giant FedEx is also on the move, according to its CEO Raj Subramaniam.re-globalization“, he said in an interview with the New York Times newspaper.

In the past six months, FedEx has opened facilities in Istanbul, Bangalore and Dublin, Subramaniam said. “We have done various things inside Asia. A new platform in Osaka”.

Such decisions are not easy to make in a world of US-China tensions. Subramaniam too Chairman of the US-China Business Councilhe regularly meets with Chinese politicians.

Global trade is changing It also affects China.

In a presentation to reporters last week, Cui Shoujun, a professor at China’s Renmin University School of International Studies, noted that 10 years ago, companies were mostly hiring foreign affairs graduates who went into government jobs.

If trade tensions remain, Chinese companies will use human resources and factory expansion to adapt.

Jeff Mahon, director of international business and geopolitical consulting at StrategyCorp, discussed the recent recovery in China-Canada relations and why Canada is in a position to develop a more pragmatic approach with China.

Enhance International’s Sam Radwan predicted another 40% correction in China’s property market by 2030, saying it was a systemic problem.

Hui Shan of Goldman Sachs said that while China has made progress in diversifying its exports, shifting its economy from property and infrastructure to consumption and services will require bold policy action.

Chinese markets rose against a subdued regional backdrop on Wednesday as investors monitored geopolitical tensions following US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on Greenland.

from Hong Kong Hang Seng Index Up more than 0.3%, it’s up 3.7% year-to-date.

Mainland China’s CSI 300 closed flat, up 0.09% and up 2.01% for the year.

January 19-22: Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng visits Switzerland and attends the World Economic Forum in Davos

January 27: Industrial profit in December