Beijing's ETown becomes one of capital's top hubs for foreign investment

Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area, known as Beijing ETown, has become one of the capital's fastest-growing hubs for foreign investment, according to local officials.

Li Quan, vice-director of the area's administrative committee, said ETown is playing a leading role in advancing Beijing's "twin-zone" initiative — a policy launched in 2020 to create a national demonstration zone for greater openness in the services sector alongside a pilot free trade zone.

Over the past five years, ETown has attracted more than $4 billion in actual foreign investment, ranking third among all districts in Beijing. In 2024 alone, its free trade zone drew $1.26 billion, accounting for 43.8 percent of the capital's total FTZ inflows — the highest share among Beijing's seven FTZ clusters.

More than 420 new foreign-funded companies have set up operations in the area in the past five years, with investors from over 60 countries and regions. ETown has also secured four major projects from Fortune 500 firms, including the P4 Sino-British Precision Medicine Innovation Center and the Bayer ETown Open Innovation Center, according to the authorities.

Currently, ETown hosts over 1,500 foreign enterprises from 62 countries and regions. A total of 105 Fortune 500 companies have invested in 160 projects in the area, cementing its status as one of Beijing's leading engines for foreign capital growth.