Global CEOs set to meet Xi Jinping as China pushes ‘open for business’ message

A host of top global executives, including Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon and Saudi Aramco’s Amin Nasser, are set to visit Beijing for an annual high-level gathering, with some expected to meet China’s president, Xi Jinping, later this month.

Plans are being drawn up for the chief executives to meet Xi on 28 March. However, details remain fluid, and final arrangements could change.

The discussions are expected to take place alongside the China Development Forum (CDF), an annual meeting of political and business leaders, which runs from 23-24 March, Bloomberg reported citing sources familiar with the matter.

Among the expected attendees are Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman, Pfizer’s Albert Bourla, and FedEx’s Rajesh Subramaniam, figures who have made previous appearances at the forum, sources said.

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Some of the CEOs attending the event in Beijing are also expected to travel to the Boao Forum for Asia, held in Hainan from 25-28 March, as well as the HSBC Global Investment Summit in Hong Kong, from 25-27 March.

Beijing eager to assuage foreign investors

The visit comes as Beijing seeks to reassure foreign investors amid ongoing economic headwinds and a cooling business climate. Xi has ramped up engagement with the private sector in recent months, following a period of regulatory crackdowns and slowing growth.

His meeting with a group of American business leaders last year, which lasted more than 90 minutes, was framed as a commitment to keeping China open to foreign firms.

US-China trade tiff in focus

Republican senator Steve Daines, a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is also expected to visit Beijing, where he will meet a senior Chinese official and representatives of US businesses.

The latest round of China-US trade tensions has seen Beijing impose retaliatory tariffs on a range of American goods, including beef, poultry, and grains. Talks between the two nations remain at a standstill, with each side blaming the other for the lack of progress.

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