Visitors gather at the venue of the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou, South China's Hainan Province, on April 14, 2025. (Zhang Weilan/GT)

Global exhibitors and investors attending the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, South China's Hainan Province, expressed confidence in the Chinese market to the Global Times on the sidelines of the expo, pledging to further expand business operations along with leveraging the province's strategic geographic conditions, policy measures and other favorable trade regulations within the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).

"The unique policies of the Hainan FTP are full of opportunities. We have also noticed that different British companies have made full use of these policies in different ways. For example, some companies have already opened offices here in Hainan," Jessica Shuck, a representative of the British Embassy to the Hainan Expo and a director of the UK Country Pavilion, told the Global Times on Tuesday, adding that many British companies are collaborating with their Chinese partners on research and development, and she expected this trend to continue as the province rolls out more policies to attract foreign enterprises.

Shuck also highlighted China's position as the world's second-largest consumer market and the UK's fifth-largest trading partner. "The expo offers a great platform for our two countries to deepen economic ties and explore more cooperation opportunities," she said.

Oei Hironemus Utari, president of Lelco Group, also expressed his confidence in Hainan's investment environment, particularly in the fishery sector. "We plan to invest $20 million in Hainan," he told the Global Times, underscoring the region's appeal for foreign capital.

Yao Zhenguo, senior vice president of Siemens Energy and CEO of Siemens Energy China, stated that the construction of the Hainan FTP continues to unleash the advantages of its open policies. Siemens Energy will continue to work with its Chinese partners to seize the development opportunities of the Hainan FTP, leveraging its strengths in resources, technology, and equipment along the energy industry chain to deepen full industry-chain cooperation and support the port's development in becoming more international, green, and law-based.

Yao's ethos aligns closely with the views of Anna Van Acker, senior vice president of MSD and president of MSD in China. She said that Hainan's commitment to creating a favorable business environment, combined with its strategic location, makes it a vital destination for foreign investment.

These remarks highlighted foreign companies' strong confidence in the Chinese market. This not only reflects the rational choices of multinational corporations amid the uncertainties brought by trade frictions but also further confirms China's central position in the global supply chain, Hu Qimu, a deputy secretary-general of the digital-real economies integration Forum 50, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

A total of 158 countries and regions have invested in Hainan, with new foreign-funded enterprises growing at an average annual rate of 57 percent and actual foreign investment increasing by 36 percent annually, said Feng Fei, secretary of the Communist Party of China Hainan provincial committee, at an investment promotion conference for the Hainan FTP that kicked off in Haikou on Monday.

"Although there is a growing trend in the global economy - the rise of tariff barriers, protectionism and decoupling - China continues to do what we have been doing, and that is to keep the global economic trading system open, free and rules-based," Hu said.

The current economic and financial challenges have created a historic opportunity for cooperation between China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Hainan is one of the key places for expanding bilateral trade ties, as it is transforming into one of the world's largest free trade ports and has great potential in areas such as agriculture, healthcare and aerospace, Zayed Bin Rashid Bin Aweidha Al Qubaisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Investment Group, told the Global Times.

He emphasized that "our confidence in investing in China stems from the stability of the Chinese market and the solid relationship between the UAE and China. The company will redouble its efforts to solidify its market presence in China."

The Hainan FTP has become a magnet for foreign investment, with its zero-tariff policies and favorable trade regulations offering a stark contrast to the protectionist measures by certain countries. Amid global headwinds against globalization, the Hainan FTP stands as China's testament to unwavering openness, Hu added.

French wine producer Ramel Francois Felix, who is participating in the CICPE for the first time, told the Global Times that "I began my wine business in China in 2012. The quality of life in Haikou is very high, with little pollution and the advantage of being an FTP. Currently, about 50 percent of my company's sales come from the Chinese market. I am optimistic about trade relations between China and Europe and believe that the Chinese market holds enormous potential."

A promotion event themed "Invest in China, Connect With the World," aiming to attract more investment for the FTP, was held on Monday, attracting numerous international companies and industry leaders. Agreements for some 265 projects were signed, with total investment exceeding 233 billion yuan ($32.8 billion).

As an important part of the Hainan FTP construction, Hainan has adopted measures to optimize its business environment to facilitate free and convenient trade and investment, and the province is ramping up efforts to diversify its economy by attracting global investments. These projects are set to bolster industrial upgrading, innovation, and infrastructure development, supporting Hainan's goal of becoming a model for comprehensive reform and opening-up, Huang Cui, deputy director-general of the Hainan Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development, told the Global Times.