China's foreign direct investment (FDI) continued to contract during the first half of 2026, reflecting the ongoing challenges facing the country's investment environment. According to official data, inbound FDI fell by 5.0% year-on-year between January and June 2026, an improvement from the 8.6% decline recorded during the first five months of the year. While the latest figures indicate that the pace of contraction is easing, they also mark the third consecutive year of cumu

On July 16, 2026, a landmark event unfolded in Shanghai with the signing of the agreement to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO). With 29 founding member countries, including China, Russia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan, the organization marks the world's first intergovernmental body dedicated to international cooperation on artificial intelligence . With its headquarters in Shanghai, WAICO aims to ensure that AI develops in a ma

European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič and Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao convened the first meeting of the EU-China Trade and Investment Consultations (TIC) in the Belgian capital on 29 June 2026, establishing a new framework for bilateral economic dialogue. Designed to strengthen ministerial-level engagement on trade and investment policies, the TIC aims to stabilise and rebalance the bilateral relationship between the two key trading

According to MERICS & Rhodium Group tracking in 2025, Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) in Europe increasingly focuses on localized manufacturing and strategic industrial infrastructure. According to a joint study by the Mercator Institute for China Studies and the Rhodium Group, Chinese outbound FDI into Europe rose by 67 per cent to 18 billion USD in 2025, marking the highest level recorded in seven years. The investment strategy increasingly emphasizes greenfield pro

According to Eurostat data for the full year 2025, the expanding volume of bilateral trade between the European Union and China underscores the deep commercial ties between the two economies. However, overall engagement increasingly reflects an asymmetric trade flow driven by shifting domestic demand and industrial capacity. On an annualized basis for 2025, total trade activity features 607 billion USD in Chinese shipments to the EU (a 6.4 per cent increase) against 217 billi

According to the latest data on China’s external trade performance, the country recorded a trade surplus of USD 105 billion in May 2026, compared with USD 103 billion in the same month of 2025. The surplus also exceeded market expectations of USD 92 billion and represented the highest level recorded since January 2026. Chinese exports continued to expand strongly, increasing by 19.4 per cent year-on-year and reaching a record value of USD 377 billion in May 2026. This compare