The commitment came in the wake of China's two sessions — the annual meetings of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body — during which policymakers set the country's GDP growth target for the year at around 5 percent despite the challenges ahead.

　　Stabilizing foreign trade and investment is among the policy priorities rolled out at the two sessions, as foreign businesses are viewed in China as important participants in the Chinese modernization drive, in the country's reform and opening-up as well as innovation, and in its interconnectivity with the world and integration into economic globalization.

　　In February, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the 2025 Action Plan for Stabilizing Foreign Investment, proposing 20 new measures to expand opening-up and boost foreign investment.

　　Christian Hartel, president and CEO of Wacker Chemie, who was present at the meeting with Xi on Friday, said the meeting sent a very strong and positive signal that the Chinese government is interested in the view of multinational companies on further developing in China.

　　“China is a very attractive market with a lot of opportunities today, in the past, but also in the future. And that's why we're here,“ Hartel said.

　　Having the world's second-largest consumer market and largest middle-income group, China offers great potential for investment and consumption. It is also striving to accelerate green, digital and smart transformation, which, coupled with the country's sophisticated industrial ecosystem, provides the best testing ground for the latest outcomes of technological evolution and industrial upgrading.