TOKYO — Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted top foreign corporate executives on Friday, state media said, as his government looks to the private sector to shore up the country’s flagging economy amid intensifying trade tensions with the U.S.
The gathering took place a month after Xi met prominent Chinese entrepreneurs, including Alibaba Group Holding founder Jack Ma and other tech luminaries, and vowed “unwavering support” for private businesses. International CEOs had descended on the Chinese capital in recent days to attend the China Development Forum, an annual conference, alongside local executives.