26th CIFIT closes in Xiamen with record global turnout

Summary

The 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) closed on 11 September after running in Xiamen, Fujian, from 8 to 11 September 2026, drawing a record global turnout. More than 1,200 government agencies and business delegations from 129 countries and regions took part, alongside 30 international organisations. Forty-eight of the world's top 50 economies by GDP sent representatives.

Total attendance topped 100,000, with both the number of participating countries and regions and the number of delegations setting record highs. For the first time, the fair appointed two guest countries of honour — Finland and Saudi Arabia — and two guest provinces, Guangdong and Qinghai. Finland brought 42 companies and institutions, among them KONE, UPM and Nokia.

Saudi Arabia sent 186 institutions, including Saudi Aramco, SABIC and the Public Investment Fund. CIFIT hosted 46 themed events and 52 project roadshows, among them a multinational investment trends launch, an RCEP trade and investment matchmaking session and a dialogue on industrial and supply chain cooperation. Eighteen further events ran alongside, including the International Investment Forum and the Gulangyu Forum.

The financial exhibition area expanded to 25,000 square metres, with 140 institutions exhibiting. A dedicated zone for the Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) attracted 74 global systemically important banks and leading regional banks from 46 countries and regions across six continents. The fair focused on artificial intelligence and the low-altitude economy, and set up an international cooperation zone for new quality productive forces and specialised and innovative SMEs, showcasing robotics, smart equipment and industrial large models.

A Green China zone was also established. CIFIT moved to the Xiamen International Expo Centre for the first time, with exhibition space expanding from 120,000 square metres to 200,000 square metres. Its digital platform hosted 968 virtual booths and displayed more than 4,700 projects, completing over 19,000 online matchmaking sessions.

Twenty-eight authoritative reports were released, including the 2026 China Two-Way Investment Report.

Commentary

The 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) closed with 129 countries and regions taking part, Finland and Saudi Arabia installed as dual guest countries of honour, and an expanded financial exhibition area and CIPS zone. The signals it sends reach well beyond a regional trade show. As China's only national-level platform built around two-way investment, CIFIT has for 26 consecutive years served as a bellwether for global capital flows into China.

This year's record figures suggest multinationals are not systematically retreating in the face of geopolitical uncertainty. They are rebalancing. For New Zealand's small and medium-sized business owners, at least two angles are worth pursuing.

The first is supply chain reconfiguration under RCEP, which is accelerating. New Zealand's exports to China are dominated by primary products — dairy, meat, logs and kiwifruit. Most categories have been duty-free since the upgraded NZ-China free trade agreement, yet many firms have still to use RCEP's cumulative rules of origin to fold Australian or ASEAN intermediate inputs into their products and reach third markets.

CIFIT's RCEP trade and investment matchmaking session, alongside more than 4,700 projects and 19,000-plus online matchmaking sessions on its digital platform, offers a low-cost route to identifying distributors and joint-venture partners in China's tier-two and tier-three cities. For small NZ firms, it helps close the budget gap that keeps them from exhibiting in person. The second is the global expansion of the CIPS cross-border payment system, which carries direct commercial weight for settlement efficiency.

The participation of 74 global systemically important banks in the CIPS zone shows the renminbi clearing network's international nodes are multiplying. For NZ exporters selling to small and mid-sized Chinese importers, bypassing US dollar intermediary banks — where the buyer prefers renminbi settlement — can strip 1 percent to 3 percent per transaction out of foreign exchange and handling costs. The gain is most pronounced on high-frequency, low-value orders.

At the same time, Finland and Saudi Arabia each brought heavyweight corporate contingents in automation and energy. Their expansion in China may squeeze some engineering services and Middle East energy procurement channels, but it will also release demand for clean technology, specialist consulting and sustainable supply chain management — areas where NZ firms hold differentiated strengths. The fair's focus on artificial intelligence, the low-altitude economy and green technology aligns closely with China's current industrial policy.

New Zealand's precision agriculture sensors, pasture carbon accounting software and food-grade automation solutions have latent export scenarios, though data compliance and technical standards will need to be worked through with local Chinese partners.

Keywords: CIFIT, Xiamen, China International Fair for Investment and Trade, two-way investment, guest countries of honour, Finland, Saudi Arabia, Cross-border Interbank Payment System, low-altitude economy, artificial intelligence

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

第26届中国国际投资贸易洽谈会（CIFIT）于2026年9月8日至11日在福建厦门举行，9月11日闭幕。本届大会吸引来自129个国家和地区的1200多个政府机构与商务代表团，以及30个国际组织参会；全球GDP排名前50的经济体中有48个派代表参加，总参会人数超过10万人，参与国家和地区数量与代表团数量均创历史新高。大会首次设立两个主宾国——芬兰和沙特阿拉伯，并首次设立两个主宾省——广东和青海。

芬兰带来42家企业和机构，包括KONE、UPM和Nokia；沙特阿拉伯派出186家机构，包括Saudi Aramco、SABIC和Public Investment Fund。本届投洽会举办46场主题活动、52场项目路演，包括跨国投资趋势发布会、RCEP经贸对接会和产业链供应链合作对话，并同期举办国际投资论坛、鼓浪屿论坛等18场活动。金融展区扩大至2.5万平方米，140家机构参展；跨境银行间支付系统（CIPS）专区吸引来自六大洲46个国家和地区的74家全球系统重要性银行及领先区域性银行。

大会聚焦人工智能、低空经济等领域，设立新质生产力和专精特新企业国际合作专区，展示机器人、智能装备和工业大模型等创新成果，并设置绿色中国区。本届投洽会首次移师厦门国际博览中心，展览面积从12万平方米扩大到20万平方米；数字平台设968个虚拟展位，展示4700多个项目，完成1.9万多场线上对接；还发布《2026中国双向投资报告》等28份权威报告。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

第26届中国国际投资贸易洽谈会（CIFIT）以129个国家和地区的参与规模、芬兰和沙特双主宾国设置、以及金融展区和CIPS专区扩容落幕，释放的信号远超一场区域性展会。作为中国唯一以双向投资为主题的国家级平台，CIFIT连续26年扮演着全球资本流向中国的风向标，本届的创纪录数据表明跨国企业并未因地缘不确定性而系统性撤离，而是在重新布局。对于新西兰中小企业主，至少有两个视角值得切入。

其一，RCEP框架下的供应链再配置正在加速。新西兰对华出口以乳制品、肉类、木材和猕猴桃等初级产品为主，中新自贸协定升级后多数品类已实现零关税，但许多企业尚未利用RCEP的累计原产地规则，将澳大利亚或东盟的中间投入纳入产品以拓展第三国市场。CIFIT设置的RCEP经贸对接会和数字平台上的4700多个项目与1.9万场线上对接，提供了低成本识别中国二三线城市分销商和合资伙伴的入口，新西兰小企业可借此弥补线下参展的预算缺口。

其二，CIPS跨境支付系统的全球扩张对结算效率有直接商业意义。74家全球系统重要性银行参与CIPS专区，显示人民币清算网络的国际节点在增加。对于向中国中小型进口商销售的新西兰出口商，若对方倾向人民币结算，绕过美元中间行可降低每笔交易1%至3%的汇兑与手续费，尤其对高频小额定单的利润改善明显。

与此同时，芬兰和沙特分别带来自动化和能源领域的大型企业矩阵，它们在华扩张可能挤压部分工程服务和中东能源采购渠道，但也会释放对洁净技术、专业咨询和可持续供应链管理的需求，新西兰企业在这些服务领域有差异化优势。大会聚焦的人工智能、低空经济和绿色技术专区，与中国当前产业政策高度吻合，新西兰的精准农业传感器、牧场碳核算软件和食品级自动化方案具备潜在出口场景，但需通过中国本地合作伙伴处理数据合规与技术标准问题。

关键词: CIFIT, 厦门, 投洽会, 双向投资, 主宾国, 芬兰, 沙特阿拉伯, 跨境银行间支付系统, 低空经济, 人工智能

Source: Xiamen Municipal Foreign Affairs Office (English Website)