Biz luminaries hail Xi's stress on opening-up

Goal of low-carbon transformation also comes in for tremendous praise

Business leaders and officials on Friday said they are heartened by China's commitment to further opening-up and low-carbon transformation.

The twin goals were stressed by President Xi Jinping in his keynote video address to the opening ceremony of the fourth China International Import Expo on Thursday.

Mark Wang, president and CEO of HSBC China, said President Xi fully demonstrated China's confidence and commitment to promoting higher-level opening-up and sharing market opportunities to support the global economic recovery.

"The fourth CIIE carries more significance beyond trade when the global economic cooperation is facing new opportunities and challenges amid unprecedented changes in the world ... This has not only driven forward the global economy to further develop but inspired the international financial institutions, including us, with a wide, promising prospect for future growth," Wang said.

President Xi's speech once again confirms China's commitment to multilateralism in international trade and its willingness to share the benefits by continuing to open up the vast Chinese market to the rest of the world, said Yok Yee Chan, consul general of Fiji in Shanghai.

"This commitment is particularly important to small economies like Fiji, which are dependent on fair international trade and access to markets. Fiji is glad to take part in this grand project and wishes the CIIE great success," she said.

Martin Lundstedt, president and CEO of Volvo Group, said the commercial transport and infrastructure solutions provider has been in China for almost 30 years. Today, China is one of the strategic markets for Volvo and a catalyst for innovation with unlimited potential.

"President Xi's speech has again reinforced our confidence in China and the future of our business in the country. We believe that Chinese companies and their foreign counterparts should work together to promote multilateral collaborations," he said.

President Xi has also reiterated in his speech China's goal of seeking green and low-carbon development.

As a global water and housing products manufacturer, Lixil has always regarded green development imperative and has taken the initiative to undertake this responsibility, said Tao Jiang, CEO of Lixil Water Technology Greater China.

So, the company has participated in the CIIE under the theme of sustainability, hoping to strengthen the bonds with business partners to jointly create a sustainable ecosystem.

"In recent years, China has continuously worked toward reforming the foreign investment management system to create a fair and transparent business environment, which shows China's determination to open up further to the outside world and empower economic globalization. As one of the beneficiaries of China's business environment, Lixil is fully confident in the prospects of China's future economic growth. We will continue to fulfill the long-term commitment to the Chinese market and contribute to the sustainable development of China,"Tao said.

Zhang Xiaolei, president of Standard Chartered's China operations, said the company has prioritized the development of its sustainable financial services to facilitate China's carbon neutrality goal. That is why, the bank has been supporting the development of clean technology companies and helping their clients' low-carbon transformation.

By working with other financial institutions, innovators, regulators and think tanks, Standard Chartered would like to make its contribution to China's "dual carbon" goals. Based on this, the bank's CIIE booth reflects the theme of creating a sustainable ecosystem, Zhang said.