Global CEOs gather at China Development Forum, highlighting investment, innovation

Global CEOs at the 2025 China Development Forum (CDF) that was concluded on Monday in Beijing have shared their insights on China's economy, highlighting their confidence in the country's economic prospect and competitiveness.

The two-day forum, themed "Unleashing Development Momentum for Stable Growth of Global Economy," attracted nearly 100 CEOs from multinational corporations worldwide, engaging in discussions about critical economic themes.

Utilizing advanced voice processing technology, all speeches from the 12 open seminars were meticulously recorded, resulting in over 20 hours of audio transcribed into a 420,000-word document. The data was then fed into an AI model, generating word clouds after examining semantics, word frequency and other linguistic patterns.

Among the verbs highlighted by the AI model, "investment" emerged as the most frequently mentioned term, reflecting the strategic focus of multinational CEOs, transitioning from plans to tangible actions.

The CEOs emphasized their commitments to expanding operations in China, with notable investments and partnerships materializing across various sectors.

"We are extending our plant network constantly and we just opened two plants in Wuhan," said Holger Klein, CEO of German technology manufacturing company ZF Group.

"Actually, on Friday, we announced a big investment in Beijing where we invest in the life science physical system, partner with biotech companies. So, it's 20 billion yuan (about 2.75 billion U.S. dollars) that we are investing to set up this center. We are investing also in AI," said Pascal Soriot, CEO of global pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.

The term "first" emerged prominently in the frequency analysis, symbolizing both the inaugural attendance of many multinational companies at the forum and the significant breakthroughs achieved by established players in the Chinese market this year.

"It's my first time at the CDF, first time talking to the media," said Gustavo Pimenta, CEO of global mining company Vale.

"We are the first, if I'm not mistaken, the first multinational company who got the value-add service license," said Roland Busch, president and CEO of German technology giant Siemens AG.

"Yesterday, we announced the first tenant, first partner in our gateway lab here in Beijing," said David A. Ricks, CEO of the U.S. multinational pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company.

In the noun category, "artificial intelligence" and "new consumption" were recurrent themes, underscoring a growing emphasis on technological innovation and evolving consumer behaviors. Meanwhile, adjectives including "stable" and "competitive" were commonly cited by CEOs, reflecting the desirable attributes sought in business environments.

"We see a big change in China, this becomes more and more an innovation economy," said Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, a German multinational engineering and technology company.

"Keyword: speed, innovation, getting bigger and bigger population with great ambitions for consumption," said Miguel Angel Lopez Borrego, CEO of German engineering company Thyssenkrupp AG.

"I would say confidence is probably the most important. And then it's supported by technology, by AI, by being connected. It is a healthy ecosystem. We have a strong supply chain with great suppliers," said Judy Marks, CEO of elevator manufacturer Otis Worldwide Corporation.

Global CEOs gather at China Development Forum, highlighting investment, innovation

The international community should remain firmly committed to a political settlement of the Syrian issue, support the early restoration of peace and stability in Syria, and promote an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, said a Chinese envoy on Wednesday.

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said at a UN Security Council meeting on the Syrian issue that although there have been some positive developments in the current situation in Syria, multiple challenges remain in the political transition, counter-terrorism efforts, and humanitarian situation.

In their briefings, UN officials stated that the escalation of the situation in the Middle East is bringing new impacts to an already fragile Syria. They called on the Security Council to increase its support by continuing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate conflicts and prevent further spillover of regional warfare, sustaining critical humanitarian aid, and promoting long-term investment in Syria's economic recovery and development.

Fu said that China supports Syria in advancing its domestic political process under the "Syrian-led, Syrian-owned" principle, with all Syrian parties encouraged to engage in inclusive dialogue to advance the political reconciliation process. China also commends the efforts made by the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria, and supports its continued work in accordance with its mandate.

In terms of security issues, Fu said that the terrorist forces still pose a serious threat to regional peace and security, and reiterated China’s firm opposition to all forms of terrorism and double standard in the fight against terrorism. China called on the Syrian transitional government to fulfill its international obligations and take effective measures to resolutely combat all international terrorist organizations designated by the Security Council, including the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Fu said.

The international community should adhere to a people-centered approach and focus on alleviating the severe humanitarian situation in Syria. China calls for increasing humanitarian assistance to Syria and making greater efforts to ease the humanitarian crisis, Fu said.

Discussions on the Syrian issue cannot be separated from the overall situation in the Middle East. The current ongoing conflicts in the region are posing greater risks to peace and stability, Fu noted.

"The situation across the Middle East is being driven toward a dangerous precipice, a development that is deeply concerning. Prolonged conflict will only inflict greater suffering on the people of the region while generating severe negative repercussions for both regional stability and the global economy. China calls for an immediate ceasefire, prevent further escalation, and bring all parties to return to dialogue and negotiation as soon as possible. China stands ready to continue to play a constructive role in promoting peace," said Fu.

China calls for political settlement of Syrian issue, ceasefire in Middle East