A total of 80 top executives from global multinational companies are set to gather in Beijing to discuss a range of economic issues later this month, as China launches a charm offensive to keep trade and investment flowing amid a period of heightened global uncertainty.
Executives from US companies will make up the largest group of attendees, with more than a dozen planning to attend the China Development Forum on March 22-24, according to an internal document seen by the Post.
The leaders of US corporations set to attend the forum include Apple’s Tim Cook, Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, Broadcom’s Hock E. Tan, Citadel Investment’s Kenneth Griffin, McKinsey’s Bob Sternfels, Cargill’s Brian Sikes, Pfizer’s Albert Bourla and FedEx’s Rajesh Subramaniam.
Other major corporations sending representatives include Saudi Aramco, BHP, Maersk, BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz, Prudential, Rio Tinto, Schneider Electric, SK Hynix, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Tata Group and Temasek Holdings, according to the document.
Foreign business representatives and top Chinese officials gather in Beijing for the high-powered summit each year following the conclusion of the “two sessions” – the annual session of China’s top legislature, where growth targets for the new year are announced.
Other organisations such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank, US-China Business Council, Harvard University and Oxford University are also invited, the list of attendees showed.
