The significance of China Xi's meet with private enterprises

(Reuters) -China's President Xi Jinping spoke on Monday at a symposium on private enterprises attended by tech entrepreneurs including Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma, state media said, but gave no specific details.

Last week Reuters reported the symposium aims to boost private-sector sentiment, with Xi expected to encourage executives to expand their businesses despite a deepening China-U.S. tech war.

Here are comments about the meeting:

CHARLIE CHAI, A SHANGHAI-BASED ANALYST AT 86RESEARCH:

"We believe the event will likely be followed by concrete pro-technology policies. Potential moves include shifting focus from 'national security risks and social externalities' to a more risk-taking approach to technology application.

"(This would) include potentially accelerating the mass deployment of generative AI, autonomous driving, and humanoid robotics.

"Similarly, securities regulators are likely to adopt a more accommodative stance, allowing technology companies greater access to capital markets to finance growth, which could help resolve uncertainties around listing and re-listing timelines (e.g., Didi, Ant, Temu)."

ALFREDO MONTUFAR-HELU, HEAD OF THINK TANK THE CONFERENCE BOARD'S CHINA CENTER:

"That President Xi chaired this symposium signals a recognition from China’s top party leadership of the significant role that Chinese private firms can play in the support of growth, and, more importantly, in realising the technological ambitions of China in the face of growing Western restrictions."

"We should expect more support to the private sector, especially in areas of strategic importance for the country.

"Despite their flaws, DeepSeek now, and Huawei’s Kirin chip before, send a strong message to the West: that China not only has the intention but also resources and capacity to innovate its way out of technology restrictions, no matter how costly."

FRED HU, FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, PRIMAVERA CAPITAL GROUP, HONG KONG:

"President Xi's meeting with Chinese private entrepreneurs clearly represents a major course correction.

"The private sector, long the backbone of the Chinese economy and the most important growth engine, has been battered in recent years by mounting policy and regulatory uncertainties, with dire consequences to China's economy, and worse, to its labour market with rising youth unemployment.

"The leadership's well-publicised meeting with some of the country's most high-profile entrepreneurs, such as Jack Ma, could not come at a more critical juncture.