China's President Xi meets US executives, academics in Beijing (updated)

Chubb

27/03/2024 03:44

(Adds further details, context throughout)
       BEIJING, March 27 (Reuters) - China's President Xi
Jinping met with U.S. executives and academics at the Great Hall
of the People in Beijing on Wednesday, state media reported,
following on from a November dinner with U.S. executives in San
Francisco.
    The meeting began at 11 a.m. (0300 GMT) following the taking
of a group photo, the report said. An accompanying video showed
the attendees would be sat in a square formation, with the two
fully visible sides both set out with seven seats each.
    A large red, orange and green floral installation sits in
between the four tables, the video showed, in a room in the
Great Hall of the People reserved for important functions.
        The chief executive of U.S. insurer Chubb  CB.BN , Evan
Greenberg, Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee
on U.S.-China Relations, and Craig Allen, president of the
U.S.-China Business Council are among those attending the
meeting, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
        The audience with Xi follows Chinese Premier Li Qiang
not meeting visiting foreign CEOs at the China Development Forum
in Beijing on March 24-25, which prompted concerns over
transparency in the world's second-largest economy.
    The chance to exchange views with Beijing's second-ranking
leader had become a key element of the summit in previous years.
        Foreign businesses have been trying to reconcile Chinese
leaders' public overtures towards overseas investment with the
rolling out of a broader anti-espionage law, raids on
consultancies and due diligence firms, and exit bans.
    Xi received a standing ovation when he dined with U.S.
executives at a dinner hosted by the U.S.-China Business Council
and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations in November. 

 (Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Kim Coghill and Sonali Paul)
 ((Joe.Cash@thomsonreuters.com;))