China Development Forum, themed "Greater Opening-up for Win-Win Cooperation", will be held in Beijing from March 23 to 25, aiming to provide a platform for the Chinese government, global business community, multilateral international organizations and academia to enhance exchanges and cooperation.
The annual event, which started in 2000, will focus on issues such as supply-side structural reform, free trade zones and free trade ports, 5G, WTO reform and international financial architecture.
Given the complicated international landscape, the forum centered on opening-up and cooperation saw wide participation by the global business community and international institutions.
As of Jan 30, 86 chairmen or CEOs from top 500 enterprises in more than 10 industries, including energy, finance, aerospace and biopharmacy, have confirmed their attendance according to China Development Research Foundation, the forum's organizer.
Here are 20 names on the confirmed list to let you see who some of the heavyweights are.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/China Daily]
Virginia M. Rometty, chairman, president and CEO of IBM Corporation
IBM CEO Virginia Rometty participates in a news conference at IBM Watson headquarters in New York on April 30, 2015. [Photo/IC]
Stephen A. Schwarzman, chairman and CEO of Blackstone Group
Stephen Schwarzman, chairman and CEO of Blackstone Group, speaks during a Business Roundtable CEO Innovation Summit discussion in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 6, 2018. [Photo/VCG]
Ray Dalio, founder and co-chief investment officer of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates LP
Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates LP, gestures as he speaks during a Bloomberg panel session on the closing day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan 26, 2018. [Photo/VCG]
Jean Lemierre, chairman of BNP Paribas
Jean Lemierre, chairman of BNP Paribas, speaks at the 28th Frankfurt European Banking Congress at the Old Opera house in Frankfurt, Germany on Nov 16, 2018. [Photo/VCG]
Hiroaki Nakanishi, chairman and CEO of Hitachi Ltd
Hiroaki Nakanishi, chairman and chief executive of Hitachi Ltd, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan 20, 2017. [Photo/VCG]
Emma Walmsley, CEO of GSK Consumer Healthcare
Emma Walmsley, CEO of GSK Consumer Healthcare. [Photo/VCG]
Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars
Chairman of Daimler Dieter Zetsche smiles at a general meeting for tourism company TUI in Hanover, Germany on Feb 13, 2018. [Photo/IC]
Ben van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell plc
Ben van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell plc, poses for a photograph following an interview in London on Feb 21, 2017. [Photo/VCG]
Ulrich Spiesshofer, president and CEO of ABB Ltd
Ulrich Spiesshofer, president and CEO of ABB Ltd. [Photo/VCG]
