First Meeting with President Xi in 10 Years
CEOs of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Qualcomm Also Attend
Visits to Xiaomi and BYD for Cooperation Talks
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong met with Chinese President Xi Jinping along with global company CEOs on the 28th.
Chairman Lee attended a meeting with President Xi and global CEOs held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing around 11 a.m. local time. This meeting between Chairman Lee and President Xi was the first in 10 years since the discussion between President Xi and business leaders at the Boao Forum in China in March 2015.
The meeting hosted by President Xi was attended by about 20 global CEOs, including Chairman Lee, as well as CEOs from German automobile companies BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and American semiconductor company Qualcomm, who had come to China to participate in the China Development Forum (CDF) held on the 23rd and 24th.
The holding of this meeting is interpreted as an effort by China to strengthen relations with foreign companies amid challenges such as the real estate crisis, weakening investment and consumer sentiment, and a decline in foreign investment, compounded by the tariff onslaught from the Donald Trump administration in the United States.
China is retaliating against the tariff war with the United States by imposing counter-tariffs, but it continuously sends messages emphasizing its willingness to open up to attract investment from Western companies including those from the U.S.
Chairman Lee visited China to attend the China Development Forum (CDF) held in Beijing on the 23rd and 24th. On the 22nd, he visited Xiaomi’s automobile factory in Beijing to observe the electric vehicle production process, and after attending the CDF, he moved to Shenzhen to visit the headquarters of BYD, the world’s largest electric vehicle company. It is reported that Chairman Lee discussed cooperation in the automotive electronic components sector with these companies.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
![$29 Monthly Subscription AI Plant Appliance... US Startup Challenges LG [CES 2026]](https://cwcontent.asiae.co.kr/asiaresize/319/2026010819285284553_1767868133.png)
