(ATTN: ADDS Samsung chief’s return home in last para)
BEIJING, March 28 (Yonhap) — Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK hynix Inc. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kwak Noh-jung met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday with other global business leaders.
The meeting was held at around 11 a.m. with CEOs from other global companies that participated in the China Development Forum (CDF) held earlier this week.
The list of attendees include U.S. logistics company FedEx, global alternative asset manager Blackstone, Britain-based bank Standard Chartered and global biopharmas, such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca, according to foreign media reports.
The meeting comes as Beijing aims to strengthen ties with global companies in response to the new U.S. administration’s decision to impose tariffs amid a deepening real estate crisis and declining foreign investment.
In the meeting, Xi said China “was, is and will be” a safe and prominent investing destination for foreign companies, according to Xinhua News Agency of China.
Xi also reportedly said the global free trade system is facing “severe challenges,” noting that Beijing will respond to economic and trade issues with the U.S. under the principles of mutual respect and coexistence through cooperation.
Meanwhile, Lee is known to have also visited Xiaomi’s electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facility in Beijing and Chinese EV maker BYD Co.’s headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, during his ongoing trip to China.
Lee flew home earlier in the day, but kept mum on the results of his meetings with President Xi and other business tycoons.
Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong (L, rear), alongside CEOs from other global companies, takes part in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 28, 2025. (Yonhap)
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