As the economy gains momentum this year, China's internal drivers continue to strengthen. International dignitaries have arrived in succession, high-level economic forums are being held intensively, and global representatives are observing China up close, experiencing the vibrant vitality of its economy. Overseas media and analysts believe that against a backdrop of severe global growth challenges and a more difficult development environment, China's economy maintains robust growth and stability, continuously providing cooperative opportunities for countries to tackle challenges and injecting valuable confidence and momentum into an uncertain world.
The turbulent international situation highlights China's development resilience. Since the beginning of the year, facing a complex and volatile external environment, China's economy has sustained a trend of steady progress and qualitative improvement. Key areas such as foreign trade, manufacturing, and consumption have delivered impressive results, strengthening its own development foundation and injecting stable momentum into global growth. Recent data shows that China's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index and two other key indices returned to expansion territory in March, indicating a rebound in economic activity. In the first two months of the year, the total value of China's goods trade imports and exports saw double-digit growth for the first time since 2024, and the growth rate of total retail sales of consumer goods accelerated. In the first year of the 16th Five-Year Plan period, China's economic performance has started strong, earning praise from foreign media.
The Wall Street Journal website reported that the return of China's Manufacturing PMI to expansion highlights the resilience of the Chinese economy. Reuters stated that China's economic resilience stems from strong export growth driven by robust demand for AI-related technologies, which in turn has boosted upstream manufacturing. The Financial Times published an article suggesting that the significant rebound in China's industrial output and retail sales has injected vitality into the economy. CNBC pointed out that China's holiday consumption boom and strong overseas demand provided an early-year boost to the economy.
Since late February, sudden changes in the Middle East situation, the outbreak of conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran, disruptions to key global energy channels, and significant fluctuations in international oil prices have added further uncertainty to the world's economic growth prospects. Amid these changes, the world's attention has turned towards China.
The latest economic outlook report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) indicates that uncertainty in the Middle East is testing global economic resilience. While growth forecasts for 2026 for most major economies were revised down compared to the previous prediction, the growth expectation for China remained unchanged. The report believes that China's strong export performance and measures to boost domestic demand are supporting its economy.
According to data released by China's Ministry of Transport, in March, container throughput at China's major ports exceeded 26 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of over 6%. Bloomberg opined that China's rising foreign trade volume is expected to surpass last year's record, offsetting the impact of rising oil prices following the outbreak of conflict involving Iran. This year, global merchandise trade faces the risk of further slowing growth; against this backdrop, China's export performance is particularly outstanding.
Bloomberg cited analysis from financial institution professionals stating that despite ongoing geopolitical tensions disrupting global trade and energy markets, the latest data shows that the fundamentals of China's economy at the start of the year are more robust than expected. This should help cushion the impact of external shocks on the economy in the short term.
Marcela Vera, an economist at the University of Santiago, Chile, said that in the face of external risks and challenges, China insists on enhancing its own development certainty through stable macroeconomic policies and maintaining reasonable economic growth, demonstrating strategic resolve in dealing with external instabilities. This stability in expectations itself is an important signal to the global market.
"Understanding changes in the Chinese economy requires observation from the perspective of structural transformation and technological upgrading, not just judging based on short-term macroeconomic growth indicators," believes Xia Huasheng, a financial expert at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Brazil. With the continuous improvement of technological self-reliance capabilities, the Chinese economy is expected to form a more robust and sustainable growth model within a new industrial system. "The world will increasingly talk about the 'China Vision'."
Thai Prime Minister Anutin drove his newly purchased Chinese-branded electric vehicle and called on the public to use new energy vehicles where possible. Brazilian President Lula attended the inauguration ceremony of a Changan Automobile production plant in Goiás, Brazil, praising China as Brazil's "best partner." The São Paulo Metro Line 17 in Brazil, which uses Chinese pure electric monorail trains, officially opened. Since late March, news about Chinese new energy products and Sino-foreign industrial cooperation has frequently appeared in world newspapers.
Over a month since the outbreak of conflict involving Iran, the supply of fossil fuels, represented by oil and gas, has become a major pain point for the world economy, sparking reflection on how to promote energy transition and enhance development resilience. Many media outlets have noticed that Chinese new energy products are increasingly becoming an important means for countries to address energy crises, and the foresight and practical significance of China's green development concept are gaining recognition from more and more countries.
In Australia, Chinese EV dealerships are crowded with ordering customers, and Chinese-branded car sales have topped the charts for the first time. In New Zealand and the Philippines, BYD COMPANY's daily sales are equivalent to cumulative sales over two weeks in the past. In Ethiopia, East Africa, besides Chinese electric vehicles, more and more Chinese electric scooters are appearing on the streets.
"The current crisis shows that clean energy is safer and more reliable. Oil shortages will drive energy transition in many countries. China's electric vehicles, solar panels, and wind turbines provide an effective pathway for countries to break free from dependence on Middle Eastern oil and gas," Bloomberg commented.
In recent years, China has extensively cooperated with over 100 countries and regions on various green energy projects, transforming its technological advantages in clean energy into products and services that benefit local communities. In the first two months of this year, China exported 583,000 new energy vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 110%. Installed capacity for wind and photovoltaic power continues to increase, with related investment scales expanding continuously.
Deutsche Welle reported that for years, China has actively participated in Southeast Asia's green transition and is a major investor in the region's new energy vehicle, battery, hydroelectric, and solar power industries. Thanks to cooperation with China, Southeast Asia has become an important production base for solar panels, batteries, and new energy vehicles.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, speaking recently at the Boao Forum for Asia, stated that China can play a key role in shaping the global landscape and a greater role in supporting regional prosperity and stability. ASEAN should strengthen cooperation with China to promote energy diversification.
A column in Thailand's Bangkok Insight argued that China is not only vigorously developing a green economy domestically but also committed to providing products and technologies to help the world tackle challenges, and furthermore, promoting the concept of sustainable development. "The world will increasingly talk about the 'China Vision,' which refers to the stable and prosperous development picture China presents as a global economic leader."
Openness and innovation are expanding new drivers for global growth. Delivering meals, making coffee, threading candied hawthorns, sorting packages... at the recent 2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Meeting, various robots showcased the rich scenarios of artificial intelligence rapidly becoming a reality. Moving towards the "new" and achieving "quality" for long-term development, the "strength" of China's economy at the start of the year demonstrates that the endogenous drivers of its innovation-driven development continue to strengthen. Adherence to high-level opening-up further allows the new kinetic energy of China's economy to powerfully drive the continuous operation of the world economic gears.
The Economist website published an article saying that in China, AI seems ubiquitous. From banking services to shopping, from map navigation to ride-hailing, almost all mainstream mobile applications have introduced AI chat functions.
From the China Development Forum 2026 Annual Meeting, to the Boao Forum for Asia 2026 Annual Meeting, and the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Meeting, global business representatives have observed China up close, feeling the "new" ideas and vitality emanating from its economy.
"China's immensely talented developer community challenges the limits of innovation every single day," Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the China Development Forum 2026 Annual Meeting. He stated that the powerful development engine built collectively by Chinese developers is a vivid embodiment of new quality productive forces, driving China's sustained prosperity and development and creating more opportunities.
"China's development will reshape regional and global supply chains and promote the process of a new type of globalization," Denis Depoux, Global Managing Director of Roland Berger, told reporters at the Boao Forum for Asia 2026 Annual Meeting, noting that China is at the forefront of innovation and development.
Since the beginning of the year, numerous political and business leaders from various countries have visited China, hoping to explore cooperation opportunities with the Chinese economy. Against the backdrop of severe challenges facing global trade, energy, and industrial supply chains, China, with its stable supply capacity and open cooperative posture, has become a crucial "anchor" for the global economy.
Roland Busch, Chairman of the Board of Management of Siemens AG, expressed anticipation for the broad development prospects brought by China's digital transformation. He said, "China's firm commitment to expanding high-level opening-up and continuously optimizing the business environment for foreign-funded enterprises sends a very positive signal to the global business community."
"China will continue to be a source of stability and progress for the world," said Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, adding that China will maintain a very positive development trajectory. The path of innovation chosen by China has brought new momentum for its own development and the world economy.
As spring flourishes and all things compete for growth, facing a world of change and turmoil and a global economy with a sluggish recovery, an innovative and open China is attracting more countries to jointly address risks and challenges, boosting confidence in global growth.
