China's Xi urges global CEOs to protect trade as Trump tariffs loom

Beijing is battling to dispel fears that a renewed trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump will further pinch growth in the world's second-largest economy, which has been struggling to recover from the pandemic.

Longstanding unease over China's tightening regulations, abrupt crackdowns on foreign firms, and an uneven playing field favouring state-owned Chinese companies are also sapping business sentiment.

"We need to work together to maintain the stability of global industry and supply chains, which is an important guarantee for the healthy development of the world economy," Xi told the business leaders, who included the bosses of AstraZeneca AZN.L, FedEx FDX.N, Saudi Aramco 2222.SE, Standard Chartered STAN.L and Toyota 7203.T.

"I hope everyone can take a broad perspective, not be swayed by transient distractions in the industry, and not blindly follow actions that disrupt the security and stability of global industry and supply chains."

Around 40 executives joined the meeting, the majority of whom represented the pharmaceuticals sector. The meeting ran for just over 90 minutes and seven companies were invited to speak, a source with direct knowledge of its planning said.

"This meeting is a big illustration of business diplomacy. Now there is not just dialogue between bodies, WTO entities and states, but diplomacy being led by companies that are not just representing themselves, but also their sectors," said Frank Bournois, VP and dean of the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai, adding that its success would depend on future actions and not just words.

The executives sat in a horseshoe formation, with Mercedes-Benz MBGn.DE CEO Ola Kallenius and FedEx's Raj Subramaniam sitting directly across from Xi.

HSBC HBSA.L CEO Georges Elhedery, SK Hynix 000660.KS boss Kwak Noh-jung, Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser, and chair of Hitachi 6501.T Toshiaki Higashihara also sat in the first row.

"Foreign enterprises contribute one-third of China's imports and exports, one-quarter of industrial added value and one-seventh of tax revenue, creating more than 30 million jobs," Xi said.

"In recent years, foreign investment in China has also been interfered with by geopolitical factors... I often say that blowing out other people's lights does not make you brighter."

Xi last year met with American business leaders after the China Development Forum, prompting questions about whether China's top leader meeting members of the global business community a few days after the annual business forum would become an annual fixture. China's second-ranking premier used to meet them on the CDF's sidelines.

"The essence of China-U.S. economic and trade relations is mutually beneficial and win-win," Xi told this year's meeting.

Trump has announced a wave of fresh "reciprocal" tariffs to take effect on April 2, targeting countries with trade barriers on U.S. products, which could include China.

He imposed 20% tariffs on Chinese exports this month, prompting China to retaliate with additional duties on American agricultural products.

The frequency of meetings between foreign executives and high-level Chinese officials has picked up over the past month, after official data showed foreign direct investment plummeted 27.1% year-on-year in local currency terms in 2024.

That marked the biggest drop in FDI since the 2008 global financial crisis.

"From the outside you can get the impression that this dialogue is just like a shuffling of papers, but I believe if it is followed by deeds and measures, only then we will see FDI trends change," Bournois said.