Top foreign business leaders have reaffirmed their confidence in China's economic development and market potential at the 37th International Business Leaders' Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai.
The event was held on Sunday in Shanghai with the theme "Openness, Innovation, and Inclusiveness: Shanghai's Development Strategy Towards 2030."
Forty-five top global entrepreneurs from 17 countries participated in thematic discussions on technology empowerment, strategic advantages, openness, and green practices, among others, at the meeting.
Severin Schwan, chairman of Swiss multinational holding healthcare company Roche Group, emphasized China's development potential driven by innovation.
"There's even a bigger potential here, and this is about innovation. My experience is that China is innovating very fast and China is able to scale innovations very quickly. So it's a good starting point to develop innovations for Shanghai, for China and actually for the whole world," he told reporters at the meeting venue.
Bjorn Gulden, CEO of Adidas, said at the event that it's not a question of whether foreign businesses should invest in China, but how they invest and utilize the resources of China.
He also went to a local university for exchanges with students, and said he is confident about China's sports market.
"So the plan is to continue to invest in the organization, very important that we have Chinese local management and that we have creatives who can create product. And then the speed of the market depends on also how the economy develops. But we are very, very optimistic when we see what we see. So we will invest in people, in stores, in technologies and design to grow the business," said Gulden.
The advisory council was first initiated in 1989 with only 12 members. This year, six new members joined the council.
The next meeting will take place on October 11, 2026.
Shanghai is one of the top destinations in China for foreign investment.
The city had established over 3,000 new foreign businesses and attracted around 8.5 billion U.S. dollars in foreign direct investment in the first half of 2025.
Top foreign business leaders bullish about Chinese economy, market
A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.
Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.
In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.
"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.
Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.
In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.
"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.
By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.
After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.
"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.
Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.
As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.
Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media
