Lee Jae-yong's 'Aggressive Moves' Meeting Xiaomi Chairman... 80 Global CEOs Attend High-Level China Forum

Chinese Government Brings Together 80 Global CEOs
Meeting with Chairman Lei Jun at Xiaomi Electric Vehicle Factory
"To Strengthen Global Networking"
"Live or Die"... Seeking New Opportunities in China

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is making a global move by attending the China Development Forum (CDF) for the first time in two years. Lee, who visited China to attend the forum, is also reported to have met with Lei Jun, Chairman of Xiaomi.

CDF announced the list of key attendees for the morning sessions of the forum, held over two days from the 23rd to the 24th in Beijing, China, revealing that 80 global CEOs, including Lee and Kwak No-jung, President of SK Hynix, as well as other Korean business leaders, will participate.

This marks Lee’s first attendance at the forum since 2023. Given his recent resolute stance of "live or die," this is interpreted as a move to seek new opportunities in China. In 2023, Lee visited Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ MLCC factory in Tianjin, China, and held talks with Chen Min’er, then Secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee. A business insider commented on Lee’s participation in the forum, saying it is "to strengthen global networking."

President Kwak is also attending the forum for the second consecutive year. During his visit to China last year, Kwak met with Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce. Alongside Lee and Kwak, global CEOs such as Apple’s Tim Cook, Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, and BMW’s Oliver Zipse are listed among the 80 attendees.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is attending the 'Youth Employment Support On-site Meeting' held on the 20th at the Samsung Youth Software Academy (SSAFY) in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

The theme of this year’s forum is "Triggering Comprehensive Development Momentum and Jointly Promoting Stable Global Economic Growth." CDF is held annually right after China’s largest political event, the Two Sessions (National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference). Through CDF, senior Chinese government officials and global business leaders gather to discuss China’s economic growth goals and key economic policies.

During this visit, it is expected that Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with global CEOs. With increasing tariff pressures from U.S. President Donald Trump, the international community is closely watching what kind of dialogue will take place.

List of Participants in the China Development Forum (CDF), Screenshot from the CDF Website

According to local Chinese media on the day, Lee visited China on the 22nd and met with Chairman Lei at Xiaomi’s local electric vehicle factory. Xiaomi, which has expanded its business from smartphones and other mobile devices to electric vehicles, may collaborate with Samsung Electronics, which produces high-performance automotive memory semiconductors and premium displays. This meeting is expected to strengthen cooperation between Samsung Electronics and Xiaomi.

While Xiaomi is a competitor of Samsung Electronics in the smartphone and home appliance finished product business, it has the potential to become a key customer in the automotive electronics parts business, including semiconductors and displays. Samsung Electronics has recently been actively investing in automotive memory semiconductors, organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), batteries, and other fields.