Premier Li Qiang shakes hands with Dilma Rousseff, president of the New Development Bank, when greeting participants and business leaders before the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum 2026 in Beijing on Sunday. WANG ZHUANGFEI / CHINA DAILY

Beijing has called for opening-up and technological progress to drive new market growth, in order to enable the world economy to emerge from difficulties and move toward prosperity.

Delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum 2026 in Beijing on Sunday, Premier Li Qiang said that protectionism is by no means a panacea for solving problems.

He expressed China's commitment to working with all parties in promoting balanced trade and to being the "cornerstone of certainty" and the "harbor of stability" for a world engulfed by unilateralism, protectionism and power politics.

Noting that the current international landscape is undergoing profound and complex changes, the premier highlighted growing unilateralism and protectionism as well as the disrupted international rules and order.

"Power politics is running rampant, acting with impunity; at the same time, calls to uphold fairness and justice continue to grow louder," he said.

Li also called for upholding openness, expanding free trade and actively promoting innovation.

He emphasized that China's imports and exports are conducted under a framework of fair trade, and said that the nation is committed to advancing high-standard opening-up, importing more high-quality goods from other countries, and working with all parties to make the global economic pie bigger.

Acknowledging that development inevitably involves competition, the premier underlined the need to view competition positively and promote cooperation with pragmatic measures. The competitive advantages of China's industries are not achieved through subsidies and protection but through persistent reform and innovation-driven development, with the most crucial factor being the diligence and endeavors of the Chinese people and enterprises, he said.

"We oppose disorderly and irrational competition, but under market economy conditions, healthy competition can stimulate greater development momentum," he said. "China will continue to strive to maintain a market order of fair competition and is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with all parties to jointly promote the stability and security of global industrial and supply chains."

The premier assured the participants that China's newly adopted 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) not only serves as a "new blueprint" for the nation's own growth, but also presents new opportunities for global development.

China will focus on promoting high-quality development to maintain stable economic growth, while continuing to create a favorable business environment and fully implement national treatment for foreign enterprises to allow them to develop in the country with peace of mind and achieve great success, he said.

The two-day forum is hosted by the Development Research Center of the State Council. Approximately 750 participants, including New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank President Zou Jiayi, as well as representatives from business communities both at home and abroad, attended the opening ceremony.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple and co-chair of this year's CDF, said that China's push for an economy driven by technological innovation, environmental protection and equal opportunity sets the stage for businesses to play a vital role.

"China's exceptionally talented developer community is pushing the limits of innovation every day. Together, they represent a powerful engine of growth, and they're an example of the 'new quality productive forces' helping to increase prosperity and opportunity across the country," Cook said.

According to Cook, that same spirit of innovation is also transforming China's manufacturing sector. Companies that once relied almost entirely on manual processes have become some of the most sophisticated manufacturers in the world.

"We are proud to be part of that progress and we're committed to working alongside our suppliers to push it even further," Cook said.

Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, a Brussels-based nonprofit international association that promotes Sino-European business cooperation in the digital sector, said his key takeaway from Premier Li's speech is "hope and confidence despite the challenges and trade headwinds".

"There is big potential for China and Europe to expand cooperation in areas such as smart manufacturing, real-world applications of artificial intelligence, and digital technologies. But we need political wisdom to achieve that," Gambardella said.

Chris Kempczinski, McDonald's CEO and president, said: "We're growing a lot in China. We believe in the country and we believe in the business."

According to Kempczinski, McDonald's is expanding every year in China, building about 1,000 restaurants annually, and China's efforts to boost domestic consumption are of great interest to the company.

"Anything that can be done to promote domestic consumption is great for our business," he said, adding that the more domestic consumption is driven in China, the more McDonald's will be able to invest in its business in China.