The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) launched the first event of its 2026 “Big Market for All: Export to China” campaign in Beijing, as the country steps up efforts to expand opening-up, increase imports and share the opportunities of its vast market with the rest of the world. Diplomats and Chamber Representatives attending the event told the Global Times that they are optimistic about the growth potential of China's consumer market, as well as cooperation opportunities expected to emerge during the 15th Five Year Plan period (2026-30), particularly in services- and technology-related sectors. Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. Ambassadors to China, along with more than 150 Chinese and foreign guests from diplomatic missions, Chambers of Commerce and businesses, attended the event. Minister Wang said it was an innovative effort to jointly enlarge the “pie” of cooperation with China's trade partners and safeguard the multilateral trading system and free trade.
China is already the UK's third-largest trading partner, but there remains significant headroom to expand bilateral trade as China seeks to boost domestic consumption and expand high-quality imports under this new initiative, British Ambassador to China Peter Wilson said in his speech. The UK is one of the theme countries for the event. During UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China in late January, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation under the “Export to China” framework.
Fabrizio Costa, Secretary General of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, told the Global Times that “technology is at the center of the 15th Five Year Plan, and this creates opportunities in areas such as machinery and healthcare, especially pharmaceuticals, as well as in traditional Italian products, which are mainly related to fashion, design and agriculture”. He also pointed to the attractiveness of China's vast market. “The scale of consumption, combined with Chinese consumers' strong interest in high-quality goods, creates significant opportunities for us, as Italian products are known for their high quality,” Costa noted, stressing that Italian companies certainly have plans and remain active in the Chinese market. Oliver Oehms, Chief Representative of the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Beijing, told the Global Times that some well-known German sports brands have attracted strong interest from Chinese investors, with one recently securing a significant investment from a Chinese group, a development he described as interesting and encouraging.
“If companies are not afraid of competition, then China is exactly the market they should be active in,” Oehms said. He also underscored confidence in China's economic fundamentals, noting that “any measures that help stimulate domestic consumption would be in the interest of, and receive support from, German industry.” Looking ahead to the new Five Year Plan period, Oehms said that emerging technologies will serve as key engines and areas of cooperation. “Areas such as AI, robotics and smart manufacturing are advancing rapidly, and in many respects, China is already among the global leaders, making it an attractive market for German companies to partner with leading Chinese technology providers,” he said, adding that the Chamber looks forward to the official release of the next Five Year Plan and is confident it will continue to attract new entrants to the Chinese market.
MOFCOM said that in 2026 it will host more than 100 “Big Market for All: Export to China” events, inviting countries including the UK, Kazakhstan, Kenya and Thailand to serve as annual theme countries, the Global Times reports.
The China Daily newspaper is supporting the campaign by launching two report series titled “Dialogue with Chambers of Commerce” and “Diplomats’ Selections”. China Daily will collaborate with leading global scholars, think tanks and multinational executives to explain through in-depth interviews and multi-platform stories the strategic significance and tangible contributions of the country’s import expansion to the world economy. Based on interviews with major international Chambers of Commerce and their key member enterprises, the “Dialogue with Chambers of Commerce” series will feature multimedia reports to showcase successful examples of foreign products and services entering the Chinese market. The aim is to vividly illustrate the vast potential and golden opportunities in China’s consumption sector and its broader economy. The “Diplomats’ Selections” reports will invite Ambassadors and Commercial Counselors in China to personally recommend premium products and signature offerings from their home countries.
Hubert de Haan, Senior Vice President for China at German home appliances company BSH, said that the Chinese market, which is massive in scale and very diverse, is extremely important for the company. “We need to be here because this is the global powerhouse of home appliances, and it is a huge market where we need to be successful,” he said. “The high acceptance of innovation in China and the level of opening-up are a good push for speeding up our innovation cycles.”
