Between 2021 and 2025, the number of Beijing’s international sister cities and friendly exchange cities of Beijing—at both the municipal and district levels—increased to 287, with 78 projects for international exchanged-related facilities planned and rolled out. In the meantime, over 8,000 new foreign-funded enterprises and more than 100 international schools were established. These figures mirror the capital's ever-growing international influence, attractiveness, and reputation. Beijing ranks sixth globally in the International Exchange Centers Index 2025 and has topped all Chinese cities involved for three consecutive years.

The strength and influence of Beijing's national-level opening-up platforms have continued to grow. China International Fair for Trade in Services, ZGC Forum, Financial Street Forum, and Beijing Culture Forum have all seen steadily rising global visibility. Country-specific cooperation initiatives have been deepened, with the Beijing China-Germany International Industrial Park and the China-Japan Innovation and Cooperation Demonstration Zone collectively attracting 286 foreign-funded enterprises and affiliated enterprises.

Beijing's capacity to attract investment remains robust. Landmark foreign-funded projects, such as AstraZeneca Global Strategic Research and Development Center and Deloitte University, have been successively launched in the city. Beijing is now home to 271 regional headquarters of multinational corporations, 279 foreign-invested R&D centers, and over 35,000 foreign-funded enterprises. Among the Fortune Global 500 companies, 47 have their headquarters in Beijing, marking the city’s 13th consecutive year as the global leader in this metric.

(Source: Beijing Daily)