Japanese executives absent from China’s key annual summit amid diplomatic tension: sources

2026.03.21 02:20 Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum, in Beijing, on March 23, 2025. Photo: Xinhua As diplomatic friction between China and Japan drags on, no Japanese business executives will attend a key forum in Beijing of multinational companies this 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. Apple CEO Tim Cook (front second right) chats with other attendees before the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum at Diaoyutai Guesthouse in Beijing on March 23, 2025. Photo: cnsphoto via Reuters 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. Cook kicked off his first tour of China this year on Wednesday and met China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Friday, according to the ministry. While US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats cast a pall over the forum last year, this year’s gathering is clouded by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, which has driven sharp increases in crude oil prices

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