Investor Relations Is About Both Numbers And Stories
The ‘Golden Week’ of China’s Conference Season: Leveraging Engagement at the CDF and Boao Forum for Asia
March 2026
The China Development Forum (CDF) wrapped up in Beijing earlier this week, just as the Boao Forum for Asia was set to open in the southern Chinese province of Hainan. Taken together, these two exclusive annual forums bookend the most important week in the calendar for any global CEO who understands that high-level engagement is the key to business success in China.
This year’s CDF kicked off on a more confident note than in recent years, which have been marred first by uneven post-pandemic recovery and then by tariff wars. Chinese Premier Li Qiang has received considerable coverage for his opening remarks, in which he emphasised the importance of balanced trade amid global instability and pledged to open up more of the economy to foreign investment. Addressing the assembled CEOs of the world’s most iconic companies – including American tech firms such as Apple and European behemoths like Mercedes-Benz – Premier Li doubled down on his pledge to ensure China is a stable and predictable partner.
Then, a few days later, at Boao, VIP keynotes came from China’s NPC Chairman Zhao Leji, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
Why they matter
While the CDF is more explicitly China-centred, compared to Boao’s wider APAC focus, both forums present an opportunity for China’s senior political leadership and business elites to welcome the world’s leading entrepreneurs and economic decision-makers to China and showcase the country’s openness to investment, trade and cooperation.
For global executives, this is a moment to engage with the most consequential stakeholders in the world’s second-largest economy. First and foremost, these are rare opportunities for direct face-time with national-level leaders, ministerial officials and regulators. But they are also invaluable platforms for meeting leading counterparts from the Chinese business community, to gather intelligence, benchmark against peers, and discuss how China’s evolving policies will impact respective industries, supply chains and investment strategies. From a communications perspective, these are also useful media events to leverage, while the participation of elite academics and research institutes can open other fruitful realms of cooperation.
Exposure to diverse stakeholders
The potential benefits of engagement are manifold. Contrary to some prejudiced reporting in the west, the Chinese government is, in fact, keenly responsive to the concerns of foreign enterprise. Especially since the end of Covid, policymakers have been vocal about wanting to attract not only foreign investment, but also expertise, actively encouraging multi-nationals to contribute collaboratively to the next chapter of China’s tech-powered modernisation, and to reap the dividends.
While some government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, have been holding closed-door roundtable sessions for foreign entrepreneurs, forums like CDF and Boao remain consistent channels for global business leaders to share their experiences, raise concerns, and voice their suggestions to Chinese government stakeholders.
It’s not all about direct government engagement, however. Elite Chinese universities and government-affiliated think-tanks also send delegations to the CDF and Boao. These institutions can offer potential avenues for thought leadership and research cooperation, especially now that sci-tech innovation has been firmly rooted as the main strategic driver of China’s industrial strategy under the new 15th Five-Year Plan.
Partnership with universities and research institutes can open the door to involvement in long-term, government-funded projects. While direct participation will not always be accessible to all foreign enterprises, targeted engagement with such institutions and researchers – many of whom are themselves seasoned policy contributors – can allow valuable, on-the-ground exposure to how national priorities are fleshed out at the innovation level, engendering a better understanding of evolving trends.
Forums like the CDF and Boao are also widely covered national media events, spotlighting China’s openness and economic prowess for audiences both global and domestic.
Any notable foreign business in China should be acutely aware of the critical importance of public opinion and take pains to get its public messaging right, avoiding the reputational pitfalls of careless miscommunication, which can very rapidly translate into the corporate bottom line. High-profile events like these provide a visible platform for strategic, carefully curated communication. Companies should leverage such media engagement opportunities to put forward their positive corporate narrative, underlined by an enduring commitment to the China market, Chinese consumers and Chinese national development goals.
In short, these forums are far more than networking events; they are strategic channels for gaining first-hand policy insights and building high-level relationships. By participating, executives can demonstrate their long-term confidence in the China market, align their strategies with national priorities under the 15th Five-Year Plan, and convert timely intelligence into actionable business decisions and enhanced stakeholder relationships.
How we can help you
This year, the Sandpiper team was again on the ground in Beijing, supporting clients participating in the CDF. In June, we look forward to advising clients on their communications and government relations strategies for ‘Summer Davos’ in Dalian; and in the autumn, we’ll once again be helping our clients optimise their participation at China’s largest business-focused conferences – CIFTIS and CIIE – with constant, in-person support throughout these events.
Sandpiper has supported clients in driving their communications strategies and maximising engagement across this recurring calendar of high-profile forums. From stakeholder mapping and message development to media relations and on-site support, Sandpiper can help you maximise your impact across the China conference circuit, with integrated government relations and communications programmes to comprehensively enhance your corporate reputation.
For more information, please contact us at: Chinapolicy@sandpipercomms.com
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