Global CEOs and business leaders attending the China Development Forum, which opened Sunday in Beijing, are eying vast opportunities for cooperation with China in innovation, services and other growth sectors.
Themed "China in its 15th Five-Year Plan period: advancing high-quality development and creating new opportunities together", the two-day forum highlights China's role as a key engine of global development as it begins its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).
In a keynote speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the forum, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan is not only a new blueprint for China's development, but also a new opportunity for the world's development.
At the "two sessions" earlier this month, where the 15th Five-Year Plan was officially approved, Chinese policymakers highlighted four major areas of opportunity for foreign investors: super-large consumer market, the expanding services sector, the innovation ecosystem and new pacesetters of opening up.
Global executives echoed those priorities, including Tim Cook, CEO of Apple and co-chair of the forum, who pointed to China's developer community as a powerful engine of innovation.
"China's excellently talented developer community is pushing the limits of innovation every day. And we're inspired by the many ways Chinese developers are using technology to build tools that help people learn valuable skills, manage their health, and bring new ideas to life. Together they represent a powerful engine of growth, and they're an example of the new quality productive forces helping to increase prosperity and opportunity across the country," he said.
Other global executives at the forum voiced their willingness to deepen cooperation with Chinese partners, pointing to opportunities in advanced manufacturing, healthcare and consumer services.
"You have a lot of good technology partners here that we're working together with to make our vehicles even more intelligent in the field of automated driving and smart cockpit," said Ola Kallenius, CEO of auto giant Mercedes-Benz.
"We have an opportunity to do so much more for the 180 million people in China who right now live with obesity," said Emil Kongshoj Larsen, vice president of international operations of Novo Nordisk, a leading global healthcare company.
Global CEOs eye opportunities arising from China's high-quality development
