GUANGZHOU, March 26 (Xinhua) -- German chemicals giant BASF on Thursday put its massive production complex in Guangdong Province into full operation, marking the largest single investment project wholly owned by a German enterprise in China.

With an investment of 8.7 billion euros (about 10 billion U.S. dollars), the integrated site covers about 4 square kilometers in Guangdong's Zhanjiang City, the company said, a move that industry analysts say underscores BASF's long-term commitment to expanding in China as the country continues to promote high-standard opening up.

The complex, known as a Verbund site, has successfully launched 18 plants and 32 production lines, producing over 70 products, including basic chemicals, intermediates and specialty chemicals for the transportation, consumer goods, electronics, and home and personal care industries.

Sustainability is a core pillar of the project. Long-term green power purchase agreements and investments in an offshore wind farm enable the site's electricity supply to be entirely renewable, BASF said, adding that carbon dioxide emissions are expected to be reduced by up to 50 percent compared with conventional petrochemical sites.

"Zhanjiang shows what the future of chemistry looks like: efficient, digital and sustainable by design," said Markus Kamieth, CEO of BASF. "This investment shows confidence in the world's largest chemical market in the long run."

BASF announced the project in 2018 and laid the foundation stone the following year. The first plant started production in 2022. The project is BASF's third-largest Verbund site worldwide, after Ludwigshafen in Germany and Antwerp in Belgium.

The site provides an important platform for BASF's future growth in China, said Haryono Lim, president of BASF's Mega Projects Asia.

In 2025, around 14 percent of BASF's consolidated sales came from China. With the commissioning of its integrated site in Guangdong, the company expects that share to rise to 15-20 percent in the coming years.

According to industry observers, the project's significance extends beyond corporate growth. "It not only shores up weak links in the petrochemical industry chain in southern China, but also provides new pathways for the global petrochemical industry's green and low-carbon transition," said Liu Guangjin, deputy director of Guangdong Provincial Investigation and Research Center.

The project also reflects the broader strength of China-Germany economic ties.

Germany attaches great importance to stable and reliable economic relations with China, which have become a cornerstone of bilateral engagement, especially in these turbulent and uncertain times, said Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche in a video address.

BASF is among a growing number of multinationals expanding operations in China, signaling sustained confidence in the Chinese market as the country intensifies efforts to attract foreign investment amid rising global trade protectionism.

Semiconductor equipment maker STI from the Republic of Korea is building a semiconductor manufacturing base in Guangzhou, with a total investment of approximately 12.4 billion yuan (about 1.8 billion U.S. dollars), while German automotive parts giant Schaeffler is pouring an additional 1 billion yuan into a humanoid robotics factory in Jiangsu Province.

According to a report released in March by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China, 95 percent of surveyed companies report a firm commitment to maintaining operations in China, while 45 percent of companies rank the country as their top investment priority.

Policy support has played a key role in reinforcing investor confidence. All restrictions on foreign access to the manufacturing sector have been lifted. The negative list for foreign investment continues to be trimmed.

In its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), China pledges to foster new strengths in attracting foreign investment, facilitating reinvestments made by foreign-funded enterprises and fully implementing national treatment for foreign-funded firms.

Official data reveals that 70,392 foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide in 2025, up 19.1 percent year on year. This momentum has carried into 2026, with 5,306 foreign-funded firms set up in January alone, marking a 25.5-percent surge from a year earlier.