The meeting followed last weekend’s China Development Forum (CDF), a flagship business event that this year saw Premier Li Qiang urge countries to open their markets and combat “rising instability and uncertainty”.
China’s leader has taken it upon himself in recent months to reassure and energise businesses both foreign and domestic.
Last month Xi held a rare pro-business meeting with some of the biggest names in China’s technology sector, including Alibaba‘s Jack Ma, urging the entrepreneurs to “show their talent” and be confident in the power of China’s model and market.
Friday’s gathering also followed a similar meeting last year, which saw the first meeting between Xi and foreign business leaders after the annual business forum, an assignment previously delegated to the Premier, the top leader’s second in command.
An all-American contingent of 18, including Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, and Harvard Professor Graham Allison, had a 90-minute audience with Xi in March last year. (Reporting by Xiuhao Chen and Ryan Woo; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Saad Sayeed)
