Overseas Investment Fair Bolsters City's Going Global Strategy for Key Firms

Shanghai is strengthening its position as a strategic hub for supporting enterprises expanding overseas by further leveraging a strong network of investors and professional service providers.

The inaugural Overseas Investment Fair opened at the Shanghai Eastern Hub International Business Cooperation Zone on Wednesday under the theme "Better Service for Shared Prosperity in Global Investment."

The four-day event has brought together senior government officials, heads of international organizations, experts and academics, as well as over 3,000 domestic and international enterprises and serves as an efficient platform for Chinese and foreign companies to connect.

By the end of 2025, China had established more than 50,000 enterprises overseas, spread across 190 countries and regions, with combined outward investment exceeding US$3 trillion.

Fang Aiqing, chairman of the China Council for International Investment Promotion, said that in the face of new opportunities and challenges of globalization, there has been a significant increase in demand from enterprises for high-quality and specialized comprehensive overseas services.

The exhibition area of the fair hosts 244 projects seeking cooperation and negotiation opportunities, covering sectors such as high-end manufacturing, information technology, renewable energy, biopharmaceuticals, and culture and education.

The Shanghai Enterprises Going Global service platform is a unified and authoritative gateway put into operation at the end of last year to serve as a platform connecting businesses with professional service providers.

It has turned traditionally intangible advisory services into structured and clearly categorized offerings through a one-stop, shelf-style online display, and major sections include information services, service guide, financial support, professional services and training and events. Among these, professional services, market information, and government services have attracted the greatest attention.

On Wednesday, four overseas liaison offices of Shanghai Enterprises Going Global in Singapore, the United Kingdom, Germany and Greece were unveiled, marking a further step of coordinated efforts among service providers and government authorities.

The Pudong New Area is a forerunner in supporting enterprises expanding overseas, with the volume of overseas investment filings in 2025 accounting for 68 percent of the city's total.

By the end of 2030, Pudong aims to host a total of 400 pioneering enterprises expanding overseas and 100 corporate headquarters of companies that successfully go global, so that Chinese enterprises can integrate more seamlessly into global industrial and supply chains.

This would mean new channels for enterprises to expand globally, linking global resources and empowering business development through a higher level of openness and cooperation.

Pudong has also carried out an action plan that leverages Global, Digital and Advancement as the main engines to drive coordinated efforts for cross-border data flow.

The aim is to establish Pudong, by 2028, as a core hub for the cross-border allocation of global data resources with efficient data flow, a comprehensive service ecosystem and a robust security foundation.

Pudong has also rolled out a "1+5+N" framework to support companies expanding overseas, as part of a broader push to streamline outbound investment services.

At its core is a unified, government-backed platform operated with professional partners, offering one-stop support for companies entering global markets.

The "5" refers to service stations in Waigaoqiao, Lujiazui, Jinqiao, Zhangjiang and the former Expo area, each aligned with local strengths, from biomedicine and AI in Zhangjiang to professional services in Lujiazui, advanced manufacturing in Jinqiao, logistics in Waigaoqiao, and support for central state-owned enterprises in the Expo area.

The "N" covers a wider network of specialized platforms in newer initiatives such as a micro-drama overseas base, a digital services platform and a used car trade hub, together forming a layered support system for companies at different stages of going global.

Officials said Pudong will continue to refine the system to better support companies across the full investment cycle and help them expand more efficiently into overseas markets.

Local as well as overseas companies have spared no effort to seek synergies and see growing opportunities in the process.

DHL Global Forwarding inked two memoranda of understanding with Chinese logistics service providers to support Chinese companies expanding internationally.

Oscar De Bok, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, noted these are the latest cases where the firm combines global logistics capabilities with local market insights.

"It's exciting to see lots of opportunities with Chinese customers going and growing abroad and we can help them with a global consistent presence around different markets," he said.

The partnership with JA Solar Technology, a provider of solar energy equipment and solutions, allows the Chinese company to leverage air freight, ocean freight, multimodal transportation solutions, and overseas warehousing services to enhance supply chain efficiency and ensure that solar technologies can be delivered safely and reliably to markets around the world.

The cooperation with Haier RRS, the supply chain subsidiary of Haier Group, allows the Chinese multinational to integrate scenario-based logistics capabilities with DHL's worldwide network, building a more agile and resilient supply chain for Haier's continued growth in international markets.

Local companies have also made significant advancements when it comes to medicine which has different requirements in specific overseas markets.

The toripalimab, an antibody treatment developed by Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co, a leading innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Pudong, became the first Chinese anti-PD-1 antibody approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Commission for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

In addition to its market approval by Chinese drug regulators, it has already got a nod in over 40 countries, including Australia, Singapore, and India, for various indications, including NPC, melanoma, and lung cancer.

The company said it has adopted tailored approaches following in-depth research into a range of factors, such as market potential and clinical needs in different regions, market access systems, reimbursement mechanisms and patent protection, and adopted different expansion methods such as licensing out, establishing joint ventures and independent commercialization to maximize its product reach in the global market.