As diplomatic friction between China and Japan drags on, no Japanese business executives will attend a key forum in Beijing of multinational companies this coming week, according to an internal list seen by the South China Morning Post.
Nearly 80 top executives from major foreign corporations, with those from the US making up the largest group, will attend the China Development Forum (CDF) from Sunday to Monday, according to the list.
Meanwhile, some foreign CEOs – including a few from the Middle East – who had been invited and scheduled to attend the annual event cancelled their trips, as the Iran war interrupted international travel and their operations at home, according to multiple sources.
Held after Beijing’s “two sessions” policy meetings, the annual forum typically serves as a key platform where foreign business leaders engage with Chinese officials and scholars to gain a clearer sense of the country’s direction for the year ahead.
Key figures set to attend the forum include Apple’s Tim Cook, Volkswagen’s Oliver Blume and Samsung Electronics’ Lee Jae-yong.
Other major corporations sending representatives this year include TotalEnergies, Mercedes-Benz, Maersk, SK Hynix, Siemens, Broadcom, Cargill and AstraZeneca, according to the list.
