Shenzhen leads nation in new foreign-funded firms for 2025

Shenzhen has reinforced its standing as a top global investment destination, citing a high degree of openness, strong economic vitality, a rich culture of innovation, and a business-friendly environment. Official data for 2025 reveals a dramatic surge in both foreign investment and the establishment of new foreign-invested enterprises.

The city saw 16,000 new foreign-invested enterprises established in 2025 — a staggering 63.3% growth — the highest number among China’s major cities. Concurrently, it attracted 50.48 billion yuan (US$7.3 billion) in actual utilized foreign investment, a year-on-year increase of 14.4% and ranking Shenzhen second nationally.

This strong performance is part of a sustained, long-term trend. Over the past five years, Shenzhen has approved the establishment of 44,000 foreign-invested enterprises, accounting for 16.2% of the national total. Actual utilized foreign capital during this period surpassed 300 billion yuan, marking an 18.9% increase compared to the previous five-year span.

The influx of investment is truly global in scope. In 2025 alone, more than 110 countries and regions invested in Shenzhen, including renowned multinationals such as DuPont (U.S.), Dassault (France), JCDecaux (France), BP (U.K.), and Hexagon (Sweden). To date, a cumulative total of 180 countries and regions have invested in the city, with more than 340 Fortune Global 500 companies establishing a presence.

The financial sector has emerged as a key pillar of this investment boom. Foreign banks continue to expand their operations in Shenzhen, with the number of institutions and the scale of their business consistently ranking among the top three in China.

Furthermore, the composition of foreign investment is evolving, with a significant pivot towards high-tech industries and innovation. In 2025, the high-tech sector attracted over 23 billion yuan in foreign investment, representing more than 40% of the city's total.

Shenzhen is now home to over 200 foreign-funded R&D centers, employing more than 30,000 researchers. Global technology and industrial leaders, including Apple, Siemens, Starbucks, and TÜV Rheinland, have all established innovation centers or R&D and manufacturing bases in the city.

Long-term investors are also deepening their roots. McDonald’s, one of the first foreign companies to enter Shenzhen three decades ago, recently opened an innovative restaurant in the city that blends art with cuisine. “Shenzhen is the birthplace of McDonald's first store on the Chinese mainland,” said Zhao Chongji, vice president of McDonald’s China. He noted that the company now operates 900 stores across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Similarly, French sports giant Decathlon, which entered Shenzhen 20 years ago, has expanded to 14 stores across the city. “Benefiting from Shenzhen's continuously optimizing business environment and open industrial ecosystem, we have been able to realize our full industry chain layout here, from intelligent production to retail networks,” said Xiong Yunbin, the company's regional director for the Shenzhen division.