The 2021 China Development Forum kicked off on Saturday online and on-site in Beijing, gathering officials, executives and scholars in business, science and other circles to discuss topics around the 14th Five-Year Plan, China-US relations, global public health, technological innovation, green transformation and more.

The three-day event with the theme of "China on a New Journey of Modernization" has attracted more than 130 overseas delegates from high-ranking officials to top executives of international corporations.

Let's take a look at what they've said.

Han Zheng, vice-premier of China

Han said, the new development paradigm China is building will not involve closed-door circulation, but rather a more outward-looking one with a mix of domestic and international circulation. China welcomes companies from all around the world to share its market potential and its opening-up will expand wider.

Henry Kissinger, former US secretary of state

"Fundamentally, China and the United States are two great societies, with a different culture and a different history, so we, of necessity, sometimes have a different view of practices as they arise," Kissinger said. "But at the same time, the modern technology, and the global communications, and the global economy require that the two societies begin ever more intensive efforts to work together."

Yi Huiman, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission

Yi said, China will firmly open up the capital market and hold an open, supportive attitude toward foreign companies setting up institutions and rolling out services and products. "In the meantime, we will also carefully coordinate opening-up with risk prevention." He added, "We will continue to implement a prudent monetary policy, support firms and jobs, keep major financial risks at bay and deepen financial reform and opening-up."

He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission

He said at the event on Sunday that the economy has already shifted to a new stage of high-quality development, and the long-term positive trend of China's economy remains unchanged. In the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, the country will make a big push to maintain the sustained and robust development of the economy, foster innovation-driven development, further upgrade industries and modernize the industrial value chain, and encourage the green transformation of production factors and activities.

Yi Gang, governor of the People's Bank of China

The PBOC, the central bank, is looking at the possibility of including climate change factors in the stress test of financial institutions, said Yi Gang. "We are also exploring the role of monetary policy in encouraging financial institutions to support carbon emission reduction," adding that the central bank will further increase the share of green bonds, limit investment in carbon-intensive assets, and incorporate climate risk factors into the risk management framework of the country's foreign exchange reserves, the world's largest. He said hundreds of trillions of yuan of investment is needed to achieve China's goal of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, or the "30/60 goal".

Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Hong Kong chief executive

Lam said, Hong Kong will thrive and soar higher with the full support of the central authorities. Pointing out that Hong Kong's future lies in integration with the mainland economy, while maintaining its uniqueness under "one country, two systems", Lam noted that Hong Kong will proactively become a participant in domestic circulation and a facilitator in international circulation amid the "dual circulation" development strategy of the country.

Anne Richards, CEO of Fidelity International

Richards said at the event that focusing on clean energy is conducive to China's economic growth. It will give China a leadership position in a crucial area and set up the right fuel infrastructure for sustainable growth.

Mike Henry, BHP CEO

As Chinese cities transition to high-quality urbanization, they will require more future-facing resources, including copper and nickel, for electrification and energy storage, which are central to BHP's strategy and future portfolio, he said. "We are proud that BHP and the commodities we produce have played a part in China's growth and urbanization drive over the past four decades and there is more opportunity on the horizon as China continues to grow its significance and leadership in the global economy.