No Japanese business executives will attend the China Development Forum (CDF) in Beijing this week amid ongoing diplomatic friction with China, according to an internal list seen by the South China Morning Post. Nearly 80 top executives from foreign firms, mainly from the US, are set to join the two-day event. Some Middle East CEOs cancelled due to the Iran war disrupting travel.
As diplomatic friction between China and Japan continues, no Japanese business executives will attend a key forum of multinational companies in Beijing this coming week, according to an internal list seen by the South China Morning Post. Nearly 80 top executives from major foreign corporations, with those from the US making up the largest group, will attend the China Development Forum (CDF) from Sunday to Monday. Key figures set to attend include Apple’s Tim Cook, Volkswagen’s Oliver Blume and Samsung Electronics’ Lee Jae-yong. Other major corporations sending representatives this year include TotalEnergies, Mercedes-Benz, Maersk, SK Hynix, Siemens, Broadcom, Cargill and AstraZeneca. Meanwhile, some foreign CEOs – including a few from the Middle East – who had been invited and scheduled to attend the annual event cancelled their trips, as the Iran war interrupted international travel and their operations at home, according to multiple sources.
