GIVEN an unpredictable ebb and flow in international economic landscape infested by incessant conflicts, wars and corporate globalization, China-driven global entrepreneurship is the sole headway holding promises for sustainable and equal market share for both struggling economies and rich economies without any prejudice.
Conversely to corporate globalization that concentrates power among multinational corporations and financial institutions, leading to erosion of democracy, loss of national sovereignty, environmental degradation, and growing income inequality, China’s entrepreneurial spirit runs deeper than just in business. It manifests itself in the government and in the desires of ordinary people.
Even at World Economic Forum (Summer Davos 2025), what impressed the international players is Chinese entrepreneurial vibes that energize private economy in true letter and spirit. Reason lies in its buzzing investment flow, universality and flexibility to stay wide open to the world. China’s entrepreneurial businesses (private market) currently account for over 60 per cent of national GDP, 70 per cent of technological advancements, and 80 per cent of urban employment. By the end of March 2025, more than 57 million private enterprises have been registered, making up over 92 per cent of all firms in the country.
In order to remain attractive for local as well as global entrepreneurship, China has recently approved its first comprehensive law aimed at supporting and protecting the private sector. This law has been a long-awaited move that aims to revitalise private business activity amid ongoing domestic economic challenges in China, as well as its ongoing trade war with the United States. One of the defining characteristics of China’s entrepreneurial boom is its focus on addressing contemporary challenges. From green technology and sustainable solutions to advancements in AI and digital platforms, Chinese startups are at the forefront of addressing global concerns. As Chinese enterprises continue to expand, they are not just looking inward but also making substantial progress on the global stage. The international rise of Chinese entrepreneurs is dispelling stereotypes about China’s economic model being insular. Chinese global entrepreneurship defies law of jungle making a room for everyone to grow exponentially with tandem. Chinese premier Li Qiang in his address at the Opening Plenary of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025, categorically supported entrepreneurship saying in the development of global economy and trade, entrepreneurs shoulder an important mission and play a critical role.
Amid rising trade and geo-economic tensions, extreme weather events, social polarization and disruptive technological changes, the global outlook may seem more uncertain than ever. Yet it is in such turbulent times that entrepreneurship demonstrates its enduring value. Entrepreneurship often thrives in difficult times, prompting shifts in our worldviews and ways of working, creating opportunities for new businesses to emerge and for existing ones to evolve and build new capabilities.
Two areas are especially critical for entrepreneurial action and new collaborative frameworks: addressing the climate emergency and shaping global technology governance. Vision and strategy must be anchored in values, ethics and purpose. As entrepreneurs leverage technologies such as artificial intelligence to gain comparative advantages, they should pair innovation with irreplaceable human qualities: conscience, compassion and meaningful connections. Likewise, in addressing the climate crisis, unleashing growth and prosperity in the new era requires leaders to harness our collective capacity for creativity, collaboration and co-creating new methods of production and consumption that are better aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Chinese-styled entrepreneurship that stands the test of time is oriented toward serving humanity. Forward-thinking entrepreneurs recognize that long-term business viability depends on aligning profit with purpose — integrating commercial success with a commitment to the greater good. This approach is reflected in concrete actions: investing in employees, strengthening the customer and supplier relationship, and safeguarding the overall health of the environment and the broader ecosystem. These efforts create a virtuous cycle, where profits are used to improve the well-being of all. Entrepreneurs are already turning the climate emergency into a catalyst for industrial reinvention, pioneering business models that decarbonize economies while developing new value chains. In recent years, Chinese entrepreneurs have built a global industry in electric vehicles (EVs), significantly advancing the green energy transition and decarbonization efforts. In 2024, China produced more than 70 percent of the world’s EVs, supported by nearly 13.75 million chargers. As a result, nearly half of all the cars sold in China last year were EVs.
Globally, eco-entrepreneurial endeavours are integrating profit, people and the planet. A recent World Economic Forum study estimates that companies investing in adaptation to climate change, and decarbonization are seeing from $2 to $19 in avoided losses for every dollar spent. The completion of the 3,046-kilometer barrier encircling the Taklamakan Desert, the world’s largest such project, has halted the expansion of desert and reduced sandstorms, while boosting local economies. Farmers now intercrop medicinal herbs under shelterbelts, and solar farms generate clean energy while enabling agricultural production below the panels. The initiative has supported agriculture and eco-tourism, and created jobs.
True, technologies can aggravate global divides. But they can also be great equalizers. Digital education platforms are democratizing access to knowledge, breaking geographical and socioeconomic barriers. Online learning and AI-driven tools are empowering individuals in remote or underserved regions with good education and vocational training. Since technological progress must be guided by human ethics, some Chinese AI models are trained on diverse linguistic and cultural data, mitigating the risk of value deviations stemming from cultural differences in training data.
Ethics also requires balancing efficiency with equity. Pioneering AI tools designed for hiring demonstrate this principle by ignoring demographic variables like age or location and instead focusing on skills and experience, preventing algorithmic bias and creating fairer opportunities. There is immense potential to tap into the entrepreneurial energy of the next generation for systems change. In Africa, about 80 percent of start-up founders are aged below 35, exemplifying the youths’ entrepreneurial dynamism in addressing local challenges with global relevance. More than 2,000 years ago, entrepreneurs of the Silk Road transformed regional commerce into global exchange networks. Their ventures not only enabled unprecedented flows of goods, ideas and technologies, but also bridged cultures, advanced civilizations and created opportunities for human development and progress.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
(yaseerkhan@hotmail.com)
