(Focus on Boao) Why does the Huashang keep enthusiastically returning to a single roundtable discussion?

China News Service Boao, March 25 (Reporter Wang Ziqian) — “I have never missed the annual roundtable.” Zhang Yin, Honorary President of the China Chamber of Overseas Commerce and Chairman of Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited, who came to Boao, Hainan, attended the Boao Asia Forum 2026 Annual Meeting · Chinese Business Leaders and Chinese Think Tank Roundtable Meeting (referred to as “Chinese Business Roundtable”). “I look forward to the roundtable every year. It’s a gathering of friends among Chinese businesspeople worldwide. While enjoying the benefits brought by Chinese policies, everyone also learns from and exchanges with each other.”

On March 25, Xie Guomin, President of the China Chamber of Overseas Commerce and Senior Chairman of Chia Tai Group in Thailand, spoke at the Boao Asia Forum 2026 Annual Meeting · Chinese Business Leaders and Chinese Think Tank Roundtable Meeting. Photo by Tian Yuhao, China News Service

The connection between Chinese businesspeople and Boao began with the initiative of Xie Guomin, President of the China Chamber of Overseas Commerce and Senior Chairman of Chia Tai Group in Thailand. In 2011, the Boao Asia Forum held its first Chinese Business Roundtable, where more than 30 Chinese entrepreneurs from nearly ten countries and regions discussed how to strengthen cooperation in China and ASEAN’s new round of economic development and create new glories.

Since then, the Boao Asia Forum has voiced the “overseas Chinese” perspective. The Chinese Business Roundtable has continuously focused on hot issues, positively influencing the consensus among Chinese entrepreneurs and encouraging their active participation in China, Asia, and global development.

From its debut in 2011, to focusing on “Chinese Businesspeople Joining Hands for the Prosperity of the Silk Road” in 2017, to in-depth discussions on “Building a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity: The Participation and Opportunities for Overseas Chinese” in 2019, and most recently, to exploring “Seizing New Opportunities for New Development” with a focus on AI and other hot topics this year, the Chinese Business Roundtable has always been rooted in China’s development, looking at Asia’s overall picture, and connecting to the global future.

By this year, the Chinese Business Roundtable has attracted hundreds of Chinese business leaders and think tank experts from around the world. Many, like Zhang Yin, have attended multiple times.

Chinese entrepreneurs enjoy gathering in Boao, valuing the platform it provides for exchanges among global political, business, and academic circles. Zhai Jingli, Vice President of Indonesia’s Golden Light Group APP (China), who has attended many times, actively shares her company’s long-term experience in transnational manufacturing. This year, she focused on three areas highly relevant to manufacturing: “Regional Economic Integration,” “Digital Intelligence Empowering Industrial Upgrading,” and “Sustainable Development and Green Transformation.”

The appeal of the Chinese Business Roundtable in Boao also lies in its ability to precisely capture new opportunities arising from China’s development. Over more than a decade, from the “12th Five-Year” economic transformation to the “15th Five-Year” high-level opening-up, from high-quality Belt and Road cooperation to the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port, the roundtable has always kept pace with China’s development, illustrating the opportunities it presents.

“Learning about Hainan Free Trade Port policies in detail today made my heart race!” said Deng Long, President of the American Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of Longsheng Group, who attended for the first time. He said that as a group rooted overseas and deeply engaged in industry, Chinese entrepreneurs learn about new development opportunities in China through the roundtable, and he plans to start evaluating investments in Hainan.

At this Chinese Business Roundtable, Xie Guomin said that this year marks the beginning of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan. With political stability and remarkable achievements in high-quality development, as well as expanded openness and cooperation, unprecedented opportunities are emerging for Chinese entrepreneurs. “Chinese businesspeople should pay attention to the new opportunities brought by China’s innovation and reform, continue to strengthen their presence in China, and leverage their global resources to help outstanding Chinese entrepreneurs go global.” (End)