Global CEOs at the 2025 China Development Forum (CDF) that was concluded on Monday in Beijing have shared their insights on China's economy, highlighting their confidence in the country's economic prospect and competitiveness.
The two-day forum, themed "Unleashing Development Momentum for Stable Growth of Global Economy," attracted nearly 100 CEOs from multinational corporations worldwide, engaging in discussions about critical economic themes.
Utilizing advanced voice processing technology, all speeches from the 12 open seminars were meticulously recorded, resulting in over 20 hours of audio transcribed into a 420,000-word document. The data was then fed into an AI model, generating word clouds after examining semantics, word frequency and other linguistic patterns.
Among the verbs highlighted by the AI model, "investment" emerged as the most frequently mentioned term, reflecting the strategic focus of multinational CEOs, transitioning from plans to tangible actions.
The CEOs emphasized their commitments to expanding operations in China, with notable investments and partnerships materializing across various sectors.
"We are extending our plant network constantly and we just opened two plants in Wuhan," said Holger Klein, CEO of German technology manufacturing company ZF Group.
"Actually, on Friday, we announced a big investment in Beijing where we invest in the life science physical system, partner with biotech companies. So, it's 20 billion yuan (about 2.75 billion U.S. dollars) that we are investing to set up this center. We are investing also in AI," said Pascal Soriot, CEO of global pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
The term "first" emerged prominently in the frequency analysis, symbolizing both the inaugural attendance of many multinational companies at the forum and the significant breakthroughs achieved by established players in the Chinese market this year.
"It's my first time at the CDF, first time talking to the media," said Gustavo Pimenta, CEO of global mining company Vale.
"We are the first, if I'm not mistaken, the first multinational company who got the value-add service license," said Roland Busch, president and CEO of German technology giant Siemens AG.
"Yesterday, we announced the first tenant, first partner in our gateway lab here in Beijing," said David A. Ricks, CEO of the U.S. multinational pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company.
In the noun category, "artificial intelligence" and "new consumption" were recurrent themes, underscoring a growing emphasis on technological innovation and evolving consumer behaviors. Meanwhile, adjectives including "stable" and "competitive" were commonly cited by CEOs, reflecting the desirable attributes sought in business environments.
"We see a big change in China, this becomes more and more an innovation economy," said Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, a German multinational engineering and technology company.
"Keyword: speed, innovation, getting bigger and bigger population with great ambitions for consumption," said Miguel Angel Lopez Borrego, CEO of German engineering company Thyssenkrupp AG.
"I would say confidence is probably the most important. And then it's supported by technology, by AI, by being connected. It is a healthy ecosystem. We have a strong supply chain with great suppliers," said Judy Marks, CEO of elevator manufacturer Otis Worldwide Corporation.
Global CEOs gather at China Development Forum, highlighting investment, innovation
