China’s week of forums a reminder of how quickly things can change

At high-profile gatherings this week, notions of China’s rise and the West’s decline were in vogue – but in today’s world, attitudes change fast

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China’s Premier Li Qiang speaks during the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Photo: AFP

Ji Siqiin Boao, Hainan

Published: 5:00pm, 29 Mar 2025Updated: 8:12pm, 31 Mar 2025

“The East is rising and the West is declining.”

This notion, often obliquely referenced by President Xi Jinping, has resonated among Chinese academics, particularly since the return of Donald Trump to the White House. Over the past week, two high-level forums held in China seemed designed to make the case for it.

On Sunday, more than 80 heads of leading multinationals like Apple, BMW and Ikea – along with chiefs of international organisations and prominent global scholars – attended the China Development Forum in Beijing.

The annual event, which began in 2000, is typically one of the few venues where foreign business leaders may have a chance to interact with high-ranking Chinese officials after the “Two Sessions” parliamentary gathering where economic goals are laid out. Compared to previous years, this year’s pool of CEOs appeared to be more diversified, though executives from US companies still made up the largest group of attendees.

In the keynote address, Premier Li Qiang delivered a clear thesis on behalf of his country: we should work together to resist the United States’ protectionism and safeguard globalisation.

Not long after, many at this forum hopped onto planes bound for the southern island province of Hainan, where they would take part in another. At the Boao Forum for Asia, they shared their optimism for China’s rising role in the global stage, as well as their disappointment in the US’ retreat from global institutions.