In the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), China and global capital have deepened "two-way engagement", entering a new stage of development.

Thirty, twenty-six, twenty-one... These are not the ages of the "post-90s" or "post-00s" generation, but rather the "growth rings" for a large number of foreign-invested enterprises that have taken deep root in Henan. Behind the Foreign Investment in Henan Series lies Henan's industrial strength in fostering high-quality industries, its combined momentum in advancing two-way opening-up, and its steadfast commitment to building a sound business environment. 

Coca-Cola has operated in Henan for 30 years. It can be safely said that its Zhengzhou factory has truly reached a milestone of "standing firm at thirty". And indeed, it has lived up to that. Over the three decades, Coca-Cola has undergone three rounds of layout upgrades in Henan. In 2025, a mega-factory covering nearly 200 mu (roughly 33 acres) and with an annual production capacity exceeding 1 million tons was completed and put into operation in Zhengzhou.

Yihai Kerry has been in Henan for 26 years. Its grain and oil products have become staple kitchen supplies for Henan households. Over these 26 years, the enterprise has built five production bases in Zhoukou, Zhengzhou, Anyang, Kaifeng, and Nanyang, with cumulative investment exceeding RMB 8 billion and annual output value approaching RMB 20 billion.

Master Kong has settled in Henan for 21 years. In 2005, Master Kong invested in Zhengzhou, setting up two factories in Erqi District: one for instant noodles and the other for beverages. In June 2010, this group expanded its investment footprint by launching its first beverage factory under a strategic alliance with PepsiCo in Zhengzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone (ZETDZ). In 2023, Master Kong increased capital and expanded production, launching its Central China Regional Headquarters for Beverages Project in Erqi District.

Foxconn has invested in Henan for 16 years. Since its arrival, it has trained over 5 million skilled industrial workers, attracted more than 200 supporting enterprises to settle locally, and helped drive Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone (ZAEZ) to build a hundred-billion-yuan electronic information industry cluster.

String beads into chains, and chains into clusters. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period (2021–2025), multinational corporations continued to ramp up investment in Henan. Foreign-invested enterprises generate over RMB 1 trillion in annual revenue, accounting for nearly half of Henan's total import and export volume and creating 350,000 jobs every year. Meanwhile, the share of foreign investment flowing into high-tech industries and modern service sectors has increased steadily. In 2025, 428 new foreign-invested enterprises were established, with actual utilized foreign capital reaching USD 390 million.

In recent years, Henan has made strategic efforts to attract foreign investment. In 2024, the Henan provincial government issued the Several Measures to Further Optimize the Business Environment for Foreign Investors and Boost Efforts to Attract Foreign Investment.

Moreover, the other day, Henan released the List of Major International Industrial Cooperation Projects of Henan Province for 2026, featuring 55 projects in total. These projects serve as key platforms for Henan to connect with global resources, facilitate domestic and international circulation, and empower the real economy.

Among them, 27 are foreign-invested projects, with a total investment of RMB 25.219 billion, covering such sectors as new-generation information technology, advanced equipment, new energy and intelligent connected vehicles, green petrochemicals and new materials, food manufacturing, modern logistics, biomedicine and health.

"The rise of the service industry may offer central and western regions an opportunity to achieve leapfrog growth in attracting and utilizing foreign investment," said Pan Yuanyuan, Deputy Director of the International Investment Division at the Institute of World Economics and Politics under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. She suggested Henan should leverage its own current competitive industries, identify niche market segments, and ramp up efforts to introduce foreign investment. (DaHe Fortune Cube Reporters: Duan Weiduo, Yan Wenrui; Translator: Hong Jianyuan)

Web editors: Shen Jianqi, Zhang Rui