The Fifth Qingdao Multinationals Summit opened on the morning of August 28, at the Qingdao International Conference Center. The summit, jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce of China and the People's Government of Shandong Province, opened with more than 800 guests present from all walks of life. Zhang Qingwei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, opened the summit. Lin Wu, Secretary of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee, made a speech, Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce of China, delivered a video speech, and Zhou Naixiang, Governor of Shandong Province, presided over the opening ceremony. Zhang Qingwei pointed out that multinational companies are a powerful promoter of economic globalization and an important force in promoting the construction of an open world economy. The summit aims to continuously enhance mutually beneficial cooperation relations between China and multinational companies. China hopes to work with multinational companies to enhance mutual trust on the big stage of openness and development, sharing new opportunities such as the construction of a unified immense market, the development of new quality productive forces, comprehensive green transition, and institutional opening up. In his speech, Lin Wu said that China and the majority of multinational companies have made two-way efforts to embrace the opportunities of the times in the tide of China's reform and opening up since the first Qingdao Multinationals Summit, and have produced fruitful results. Shandong Province will continue to create a market-oriented, law-based, and international first-class business environment, providing a full range of services for the majority of multinational companies to invest in Shandong. In his speech, Wang Wentao mentioned that multinational companies are important participants, witnesses and beneficiaries of China's reform and opening up process for more than 40 years, and while constantly achieving their own development, they have also made posit ive contributions to China's economic and social development. Chinese-style modernization has brought new impetus and opportunities to the development of multinational companies in China. The Ministry of Commerce will continue to support Shandong to give full play to its advantages, deepen international economic and trade cooperation, further consolidate the reform in an all-round way, and promote high-level opening up to the outside world. The Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Zhang Xiangchen, delivered a video message, and the Secretary of the Qingdao Municipal Party Committee, Zeng Zanrong, made a speech as well. More than 550 delegates from 451 multinational companies attended the summit, including 99 multinationals attending the summit for the first time. Ambassadors from Singapore, Japan, South Korea and other countries, representatives of multinational companies, international organizations and business associations, Chinese and foreign academicians, experts and scholars par ticipated in the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was followed by the Forum on the Development of Multinationals. Keita Ishii, President of Itochu Corporation; Son Kyong-shik, Chairman of CJ Corporation; Mufti, Executive Vice President of Saudi Petroleum International Inc. (Saudi Aramco); Seiji Imai, Chairman of Mizuho Financial Group; Wang Lei, Global Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca, Chairman of International Business and President of China; Kuniharu Nakamura, Special Advisor of Sumitomo Corporation; Giovanni, Executive Vice President of Eni Group and Chairman of the Board of Directors of China; Arjun Purkayastha, Global Senior Vice President of Reckitt and President of Greater China; Rodriguez, Global Senior Vice President of Garrett Motion; and Zhou Yunjie, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Haier Group, delivered speeches. Source: Ghana News Agency