China’s top leadership has gone all out to revive confidence and lure foreign investment in intensive meetings with foreign business leaders in recent days, setting out the “win-win opportunities ahead”, as Beijing seeks to achieve a seemingly challenging economic growth target for 2024.
In a rare move, nearly all top-level officials responsible for economic affairs have met or have plans to meet with multinational executives, including during the annual China Development Forum which concluded on Monday, signalling top priority being given to economic growth as multiple headwinds persist.
Following routine speeches and discussions involving Premier Li Qiang and various ministers, Vice-President Han Zheng and Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang on Monday met with a number of foreign business representatives at the two-day forum in Beijing.
On the same day, chief of staff Cai Qi, China’s fifth-ranking official, met with Stephen Schwarzman, the CEO of private equity giant Blackstone, according to the state-backed Xinhua News Agency.
President Xi Jinping is expected to hold a meeting with a group of business leaders on Wednesday, according to reports, while Zhao Leji, China’s top legislator, will attend the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia on Thursday.
