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Beijing’s schmoozing of China’s private sector a strategic move, analysts say


Beijing is repositioning the private sector as the cornerstone of China’s global competitiveness and technological edge in the face of growing geopolitical and economic headwinds, according to analysts’ assessments following President Xi Jinping’s meeting with prominent entrepreneurs.

Observers also emphasised the importance of more stimulus and policy reforms to get the ball rolling.

The first gathering of its kind since 2018, Monday’s symposium saw Xi vow leadership’s steadfast and unwavering support for the private sector while calling on entrepreneurs to “showcase their talents and make significant contributions”.

“It’s a calculated move to restore confidence and rebuild trust” after years of economic slowdown, regulatory tightening, and bureaucratic interference at multiple levels, according to Jing Qian, a managing director with the Centre for China Analysis (CCA) at the Asia Society Policy Institute, adding that the meeting reflects how private entrepreneurs are considered indispensable in China’s efforts to compete globally and to maximise the country’s technological edge.

The most conspicuous attendee was Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, who has largely stayed out of the public limelight since 2020 when Beijing halted the initial public offering of his fintech company, Ant Group, as leadership tightened controls over the tech sector. Ma gave up control of Ant in 2023. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

We expect measured policy support and a more predictable regulatory environment in the next two to three years

Morgan Stanley economists

The meeting signalled Beijing’s shift from rectification to revitalisation, and that China has concluded its regulatory-tightening cycle, according to economists led by Robin Xing, chief China economist at Morgan Stanley.


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