In the first half of 2025, despite global economic uncertainties, China’s direct investments in countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) recorded strong growth. Non-financial direct investment in these countries reached 18.9 billion U.S. dollars, up 20.7% year on year. This accounted for 26% of China’s total outbound investment, marking a five-percentage-point increase from the previous year. The investments were mainly directed toward Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Latin America. In addition, the total value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) carried out by Chinese companies in BRI countries rose to 10.1 billion U.S. dollars, up 97% year on year, representing 52% of the total overseas M&A value.
On the trade side, goods trade between China and BRI countries continued to grow steadily. From 2.7 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021, trade volume increased to 3.1 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024, with an average annual growth rate of 4.7%. The share of this trade in China’s total foreign trade rose from 45.3% in 2021 to 50.7% in 2024, and further to 51.8% in the first half of 2025. While more tropical fruits, coffee, and other quality agricultural products from these countries entered the Chinese market, China’s machinery and electronic products contributed to the industrial development of partner countries.