On the afternoon of March 25, 2019, Premier Li Keqiang met and held a symposium with overseas representatives attending the China Development Forum 2019 in Beijing. Over a hundred people were present, including principals of some Fortune 500 companies, experts and scholars from internationally renowned academic institutions and representatives of major international organizations.

Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG Dieter Zetsche, IBM Chairman Ginni Rometty, BMW Chairman Harald Krüger, Pfizer Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Albert Bourla, Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques and other institution principals delivered speeches and put forward questions of their concern, to which Li Keqiang respectively gave replies.

Li Keqiang expressed that under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the Chinese people worked hard and China's economy maintained an overall stable performance with solid progress last year. Facing new downward pressure, we will continue to vigorously promote countermeasures such as tax and fee reductions and fostering new momentum for growth. Instead of increasing the deficit and easing the monetary policy, China will roll out measures focusing on the market, and take reform and opening up as the impetus to further stimulate market vitality. China can certainly withstand the downward pressure, keep its economic indicators within an appropriate range and achieve sustained and sound development.

Li Keqiang pointed out that China remains to be the largest developing country in the world. The great achievements China made over the past 40 years have benefited from its reform and opening up. China's door will open wider and wider. We have approved the foreign investment law to better protect foreign investment in China through legal means, equally treat all foreign investments without any distinction in line with the principle of competitive neutrality, clarify pre-establishment national treatment and a negative list and promote the policy of "entry unless on the list". Meanwhile, we will continue to introduce a series of specific implementation measures based on the needs of opening up and the response of foreign investors to strengthen the protection of foreign businesses' legitimate rights and interests.

Li Keqiang stressed that in face of a new round of industrial and technological revolution, mankind can only embrace instead of rejecting. The Chinese government takes an inclusive and prudent attitude towards supervision on innovation activities to avoid instant curb upon the advent of such activities and guide them for sound and standard development. China encourages the development of new technologies and new industrial models and makes efforts to create space for innovation. China will comprehensively strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) and improve the punitive damages system for IPR infringement. China will never allow the forced transfer of technology and will resolutely crack down on all kinds of IPR infringements in accordance with the law, so as to create an international, market-oriented and rule-based business environment.

Li Keqiang also answered questions raised by other representatives on economic and trade relations between China and the United States, high-tech services, medical cooperation, privacy protection and the development of chemical engineering industry.

Representatives of various countries attending the meeting expressed that the theme of this year's forum was "Greater Opening-up for Win-Win Cooperation". Participants discussed ways to maintain China's economic growth momentum, including structural reform, fiscal policy, and reform in manufacturing industry and finance, which enhanced their confidence in the Chinese market. Various parties stand ready to continue to expand trade and investment in China so as to better share the opportunities of China's development.