On September 25, the 2025 Fortune Global 500 Summit convened in Guangzhou, bringing together nearly 300 business leaders, renowned scholars, and experts to explore pathways for sustainable corporate growth through innovation and collaboration against the backdrop of global economic uncertainties.
The dialogues centered on key trends of critical concern to entrepreneurs, including the evolution of the global economic landscape, balancing globalization with localization, energy transition, and strategies for sustainable business development, aiming to help companies enhance resilience, identify opportunities, and reshape their futures through communication and collaboration in an uncertain environment.
The 2025 Fortune Global 500 list revealed that the total revenue of listed enterprises reached $41.7 trillion, exceeding one-third of the global GDP and marking a 1.8% year-on-year increase. Total net profit was approximately $2.98 trillion, a 0.4% increase from the previous year, with both asset and net asset scales reaching record highs since the list's inception.
In her opening address, Alyson Shontell, Fortune's Editor-in-Chief and Chief Content Officer, highlighted the continued crucial role of high-tech companies on this year's list. She noted that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and large models continues to drive the strong performance of chip manufacturers, with three companies from the semiconductor and electronics sectors ranking among the top ten in terms of profit margin.
Shontell cautioned that despite these bright spots, the global economy is in an "atypical cycle." She emphasized that addressing intensifying uncertainties and their impacts requires more dialogue and cooperation to pave the way for a more stable and prosperous future.
Zhang Haibo, Deputy Director of the Guangzhou Municipal Commerce Bureau, shared significant investment figures: "To date, 362 Fortune Global 500 companies have invested in Guangzhou with over 2,000 projects." He also noted that last year, one out of every new foreign-funded enterprise established in China was located in Guangzhou. Despite a complex global trade landscape in the first half of the year, Guangzhou's foreign trade imports and exports defied the trend, achieving a 15.5% year-on-year growth.
In the 2025 Fortune Global 500 rankings, China has 130 companies on the list. Within China, the Guangdong region is represented by over a dozen companies. These companies are distributed across various sectors, including automotive manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and health, new materials, financial investment, e-commerce, and construction engineering, demonstrating a diverse industrial landscape.