President meets with foreigners for first time since his re-election as Party general secretary

China will firmly stick to the basic national policy of opening-up and pursue win-win cooperation while safeguarding the country's sovereignty, security and development interests, President Xi Jinping said on Oct 30.

Xi made the remark while meeting with members of the Advisory Board of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The members include foreign and Chinese entrepreneurs, academics and former officials.

It was Xi's first meeting with foreigners since his re-election as general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee at the First Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee last week.

Xi told the members that the recently concluded 19th National Congress of the CPC had great significance, boosting Chinese people's confidence in continuing with the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Saying that China is deepening overall reform with unprecedented determination and force, Xi vowed to continue to promote reform and opening-up.

China has not only benefited from but also contributed to economic globalization, Xi said, adding that the country's development means opportunities for the world.

China will not seek to take advantage of other countries but will pursue win-win cooperation, Xi said, while pledging to take more measures to boost opening-up.

The president said China sticks to the path of peaceful development, proactively participating in the reform and construction of the global governance system, and pushes to build a community of a shared future for mankind.

Xi also highlighted the importance of education, saying that China's education system aims to train builders and inheritors of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Commenting that he is looking forward to his upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump, Xi said China would like to make joint efforts with the United States to take each other's interests and concerns into consideration, dissolve disputes and contradictions, and engage in win-win cooperation.

During the meeting, some members of the board made speeches to express confidence in the Chinese economy and extended congratulations to the Party's 19th National Congress.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc, said at the meeting that Apple looks forward to "continuing to be in China and working together on a very prosperous future".

"Innovation and technology come from openness and collaboration. I'd like to strongly encourage China to continue to open wider to the outside world," he said.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, said that boosting connections will create economic opportunities, like those the China-led Belt and Road Initiative has brought to the world.

"Like the supply-side structural reform that you are working on, we know that when it's easier for businesses to connect their customers on the internet, that enables the creation of new entrepreneurship, innovation and development, and improves the life of everyone," he told Xi.

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What they say

Henry M. Paulson,

I am quite optimistic that you and President Trump will have a very successful meeting, largely because of the personal relationship and working relationship you two have built up.

Tim Cook,

Congratulations on the successful conclusion of the 19th Party Congress.

Today we are proud to support 5 million jobs in China. We never would have been able to do that without the friendships and the partnerships that we developed over many years in China, and we are very appreciative of that.

What I'd like to do this morning is just thank you for your global leadership on climate change. I do believe that it's one of the most important issues of our time. Thank you very much for your help.

Mark Zuckerberg,

I firmly believe that when billions of people can hear the real voices of people in China, we will all be better off for that around the world.

In the last 30 years, China has helped raise more than 500 million people out of poverty, and China has done more on that front than any other country.

(China Daily European Weekly 11/03/2017 page24)