China's magnetic pull on foreign companies is undeniable, even when the financial benefits of doing business in the country are relatively modest.

Take Yara International ASA. The Norway-based company is the world's largest publicly traded producer of nitrogen fertilizer. Although it has been in China for 100 years, it generates just $750 million of its $15 billion in annual revenue from the nation.

Nonetheless, "China is an important market to us," said President and Chief Executive Officer Jorgen Ole Haslestad.