Now is the time for China to show it’s serious about opening up

South China Morning Post · Mar 1, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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As China’s leaders convene for the annual “two sessions” starting this week, the eyes of the world will be fixed on Beijing. This gathering is no ordinary policy meeting. Beyond setting the economic growth target for 2026, it will finalise the 15th five-year plan (2026–2030), a blueprint that will define the nation’s economic and social priorities for the second half of this decade.In an era of intensifying great-power competition, particularly with the United States, these decisions will shape how China builds technological strength, economic resilience and national security.Crucially, how Beijing articulates and implements its commitment to “high-level opening up” will be a litmus test. Rhetoric about openness is abundant, but translating it into tangible actions will determine whether China sustains its growth trajectory and enhances its influence in the global economy and geopolitics amid heightened turbulence.The timing could not be more auspicious. As nations scramble to re-evaluate their relationships with the US and China – the world’s two largest economies – Beijing has an opportunity to position itself as a more stable and reliable anchor in an increasingly fragmented international order.One only needs to type “China is winning” into a Google search bar to gauge the shifting global narrative. Thanks to the policies of US President Donald Trump and the US Supreme Court’s recent ruling that he exceeded his authority in imposing broad tariffs, a picture has been painted of China “winning” the tariff war, the geopolitical contest, the AI and robotics race and more. While perceptions can be fleeting, this sentiment reflects real dynamics: China’s economic resilience has stood out against US unpredictability, which has systematically challenged the post-war rules-based international order.This positive buzz is backed by action on the ground. In the first two months of 2026, leaders from Ireland, Finland, Canada, Britain and Germany have visited China – some after long hiatuses lasting at least eight years. These visits underscore a pragmatic recalibration by Western nations hedging against US policy volatility by deepening ties with China.