Night view of Xiamen, Fujian province. [Photo/IC]

Located on the southeastern coast of China, Xiamen is a beautiful seaside city faceing the Kinmen Island and is situated across from Taiwan and the Penghu Islands across the Taiwan Strait. Legend has it that white egrets once inhabited this area earning Xiamen the nickname, the "Egret Island." The city enjoys a south subtropical maritime monsoon climate making a pleasant destination all year round.

Xiamen covers a land area of 1,699.01 square kilometers and a sea area of 333 sq km. It administers six districts; Siming, Huli, Jimei, Haicang, Tong'an, and Xiang'an, and has a population of 5.35 million residents.

Historically, Xiamen has been an important trading port and a gateway for China's opening-up and international cooperation. As one of the earliest special economic zones in China, the city remains a pioneer in reform and innovation. Over the years, the city has welcomed visitors from around the globe.

Today, Xiamen is well known for its innovation and entrepreneurship, with emerging economic forms and industries, strong trade and investment environment and seamless global connectivity by air, land and sea. It’s celebrated as a beautiful garden city that exemplifies harmony between humanity and nature.

In 2024, Xiamen's GDP reached 858.9 billion yuan ($117.51 billion), up 5.5 percent year-on-year.  The added value of the city's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries totaled 2.63 billion yuan, 314.74 billion yuan, and 541.53 billion yuan in 2024, respectively, decreasing 6.8 percent, increasing 6.7 percent and 4.8 percent.

Its foreign trade volume in 2024 hit 932.61 billion yuan, decreasing 1.5 percent year-on-year. The city's trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative decreased by 6.9 percent with a 459.1-billion-yuan trade volume, while imports and exports to RCEP countries reached 321.3 billion yuan, up 1.8 percent year-on-year.