Global CEOs met in Beijing at the China Development Forum (CDF) 2026 on March 22-23. Premier Li Qiang attended the opening ceremony, delivered a keynote speech, and met with the participants. The theme of this year's forum is “China in Its 15th Five Year Plan Period: Advancing High-Quality Development and Creating New Opportunities Together.” It sent a clear signal to the world that China is willing to inject new momentum into global economic growth and share a prosperous future with all countries through its new achievements in high-quality development. Against the backdrop of escalating geopolitical conflicts and international trade frictions, and the obstruction of the global economic recovery, the convening of the CDF demonstrates the determination to counter external pressures through openness and cooperation and to build global consensus through pragmatic actions, injecting much-needed confidence into the world economy.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang stressed creating new market opportunities through openness and technological progress, and upholding global market order through healthy and fair competition. He also said the high-quality development and stable economic growth of China will continue to provide development opportunities for the world. China will continue to safeguard a fair and orderly market environment, strengthen communication and collaboration with all parties, and jointly promote the stability and security of global industrial and supply chains, he added. Premier Li's remarks included “jointly expand the global economic pie” and “China is committed to being a 'cornerstone of certainty' and 'harbor of stability' for the world economy”.
The gathering of executives from over 80 multinational corporations, including Apple, Volkswagen, Samsung, TotalEnergies, Mercedes-Benz, HSBC, and Shell, in Beijing is itself a powerful testament to their confidence. The world's executives are increasingly looking to China to serve as a crucial anchor of predictability and certainty. Their trip to China is a strategic choice to seize the development opportunities presented by China's 15th Five Year Plan and to refine their global diversification strategy. The Financial Times cited a partner at the Asia Group consultancy as saying, “China is now safer, more reliable and stable, and more focused on economic development rather than conflicts.” In the current turbulent global political and economic climate, as global CEOs look eastward to “seek certainty and stability amid uncertainty,” the commitment of the world's second-largest economy to high-level opening-up is becoming increasingly attractive in the context of global economic fragmentation.
Since its inception in 2000, the CDF has become the most authoritative dialogue platform between the Chinese government and the global business community. This year's forum hosted 13 thematic seminars and multiple closed-door seminars, focusing on “new track topics” such as new trends in consumption growth, green and low-carbon transformation, future industrial development, and the industrial application of artificial intelligence (AI), demonstrating China's open-mindedness in sharing development achievements and jointly promoting industrial upgrading with the world.
The largest number of executives participating in this year's meeting comes from the U.S. This sends a clear signal: despite complaints about China and the rhetoric of “decoupling,” the world's top business leaders are still embracing the Chinese market with concrete actions. A total of 8,631 new foreign-invested firms were established in China in January and February this year, a year-on-year increase of 14%. Despite the complex geopolitical environment, firms continue to choose to register new companies in China, further dispelling rumors about “foreign capital withdrawing from China.” In particular, the actual use of foreign capital in high-tech industries increased by 20.4% year-on-year, indicating that China is now attracting foreign investment more through “innovation dividends” rather than cheap labor.
Zheng Yongnian, Dean of the School of Public Policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, commented: “We use China's certainty to cope with global uncertainty. That is why people – not only entrepreneurs – are coming to China”, as development requires a stable and predictable environment. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who attended the CDF, praised the innovations of Chinese developers and the automation at the country's manufacturing facilities. He said Apple and China share common goals, including in green development and carbon neutrality, while Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume said that Germany's car industry could learn from China's disciplined industrial planning. “What we experience very positively in China is a high level of discipline and willingness to execute. It is worth looking beyond our own backyard. We can learn a great deal from how the country has developed”, he added, as reported by the Global Times.
