Gaston Chee (left), co-founder and CEO of BeGo, an education company preparing Chinese students for overseas study, talks with an investor from Malaysia at an event in Beijing. Photo provided to China Daily

Optimism despite COVID-19

China has remained a highly sought-after destination for foreign investment, with the inflow of foreign direct investment reaching 758 billion yuan in the first eight months of this year, up by 22.3 percent year-on-year, and significantly higher than the pre-pandemic level of 604 billion yuan in the corresponding period in 2019.

Foreign investment in the services industry came in at 599.33 billion yuan during the first eight months of this year, up 25.8 percent year-on-year, with foreign investment in the high-tech services sector rising 35.2 percent.

Many young business leaders have expressed optimism about their growth prospects, despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thornhill's company has experienced phenomenal growth over the years.

"We went from a team of three inexperienced young people planning for a startup in an apartment to a team of over 30 people running an e-commerce platform with hundreds of millions of products, he said.

He said the company has been able to see sales grow without much growth in headcount because of improvements in operational efficiency, and it has expanded services outside the Chinese mainland.

"The United States is the big market, but we should be shipping products to many countries before the end of this year," he said.

Chee, from Bego, said he has seen the seedlings of a host of opportunities in China, even as international travel restrictions reduced the number of potential clients for the company.

"I've been very excited at the dawning of the new decade as China emerges from the pandemic and once again exhibits exemplary leadership," he said.

"To the astute and to those who are willing to focus on their craft and appreciate and respect the national plans, it is an exciting time to be an investor in China. We are living in and witnessing an ongoing China miracle, and we cannot afford to miss out."