A deep dive into the private companies invited to meet the Chinese leader.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech after listening to a work report, February 8, 2025. Credit: Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via Getty Images
When Chinese leader Xi Jinping sat down with Chinese entrepreneurs on Monday, many observers cast the meeting as Beijing’s attempt to reset its relationship with the business sector. The gathering of private sector leaders is only the second of its kind: The previous one took place in 2018, during China’s trade war with the first Trump administration, when Xi stressed that the country would “unswervingly encourage” the development of the private sector.
Left: Xi Jinping shak
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If Xi Jinping is becoming more preoccupied with internal politics, it could lead to a period of relative calm in China’s relations with the United States.
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