To invest in China is to invest in the future, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday.

Mao made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment China's ranking in the 2024 Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Index, which rose to the 3rd position from the 7th last year, and topped the emerging markets rankings. The index was released by the leading global management consulting firm Kearney.

In recent years, China has put into effect the Foreign Investment Law, enhanced the foreign-related legal framework and strengthened intellectual property protection, Mao said.

She added that standards and regulations in various areas are improved, and the investment environment is more stable, transparent and predictable.

Noting China has been advancing institutional opening-up to align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, Mao said in 2013, there were 190 items on China's first negative list for foreign investment.

"Now the number has been slashed to 31 in the national negative list and only 27 on the free trade pilot zones negative list," she said, adding sound investment environment and high-standard opening-up have raised foreign businesses' confidence in investing in China.

China will continue improving the business environment and expanding the space for mutually beneficial cooperation through developing new quality productive forces to share with the wider world China's market and development dividends, the spokesperson said.