Determined to 'retain' investors, Chinese President Xi Jinping calls on global CEOs to 'speak up for reason'

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the world's top CEOs in Beijing on March 28, as the government tries to attract foreign investment to boost the struggling economy and ease geopolitical tensions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks to foreign business leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 28. (Source: Reuters)

Beijing is seeking to ease investor concerns about the stability of its $18 trillion economy amid a slew of unexpected regulations and policies for foreign businesses, Reuters reported.

Speaking to business leaders, including representatives from AstraZeneca, FedEx, Saudi Aramco and Standard Chartered, President Xi Jinping stressed the important role of this business sector in the Chinese economy: “Foreign enterprises contribute one-third of China’s import and export turnover, one-quarter of industrial value-added and one-seventh of total tax revenue, and have created more than 30 million jobs.”

The meeting, attended by about 40 CEOs, mainly from the pharmaceutical sector, was part of a series of high-level contacts between Chinese leaders and international corporations over the past month, after data showed foreign direct investment (FDI) into China fell 27.1% year-on-year – the sharpest decline since the 2008 global financial crisis.

Meeting between Chinese leaders and foreign business leaders in Beijing on March 28. (Source: Reuters)

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on multinational corporations to play a positive role in maintaining global economic stability, urging them to “speak up for reason” and take practical actions to promote economic cooperation.

The event comes on the heels of the China Development Forum (CDF) – a major economic conference, where Premier Li Qiang called on countries to open up their markets and deal with global economic uncertainties.

Notably, President Xi Jinping personally met with business people instead of assigning this task to the Prime Minister as was previously customary. This shows the Chinese leader's determination to strengthen the confidence of domestic and foreign businesses.

Previously, in February 2025, he also had a rare meeting with China's top technology leaders, including Mr. Jack Ma (Alibaba), to call on entrepreneurs to "show their talent" and be confident in the strength of the Chinese model and market.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/quyet-tam-giu-chan-nha-dau-tu-chu-cich-trung-quoc-tap-can-binh-keu-goi-cac-ceo-toan-cau-len-tieng-vi-ly-tri-309143.html