ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer was one of 20 global CEOs to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and several ministers from the Chinese government on Thursday as part of the Chinese government’s fifth annual Roundtable Summit of the Global CEO Council in Beijing. The Council, which focuses on international cooperation and development, is an important platform for direct, high level dialogue between world business leaders and Chinese government officials.
Speaking after the meeting, Spiesshofer noted, "President Xi shared his perspective of a connected and open China. China wants to play an open and important role in the world in constructive collaboration with other countries, and we had the opportunity to share our thoughts and experiences on what it would take to live this vision. It was a very positive and constructive exchange."
Usually attended by Chinese Premier-level and minister-level officials, this year the meeting was named a Special Session and was hosted by the country's President, highlighting the importance given by the Chinese government to this exchange.
The Global CEO Council was founded in 2013 and its Roundtable Summit is held each year in June in China's Great Hall of the People. The initial CEO Council was formed by the CEOs of 14 multi-national companies, including Coca-Cola, Dell, Volkswagen, BHP Billiton, Standard Chartered Bank, Disney and Honeywell. ABB was invited to participate for the first time this year.
