Message from the Co-Chair

Tim Cook

Chief Executive Officer, Apple Inc.

Distinguished guests and fellow delegates,

For more than a quarter-century, the China Development Forum has been an essential gathering that has helped foster important dialogue, promote economic development, and strengthen ties between China and the world. I am deeply grateful to the Development Research Centre of the State Council and the China Development Research Foundation for engaging with the global business community, and I look forward to a productive exchange of ideas over the next two days.

I have been visiting China with Apple for nearly 30 years now. During that time, the progress I have witnessed is nothing short of extraordinary. Today, China is home to some of the world's most dynamic cities, and on every visit I am struck by the creativity and ingenuity flourishing across the country.

This year's forum will focus on high quality development. In addition to being a central goal of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, this is a theme that resonates with many of us in the business community because it reflects something we've learned through experience: innovation, sustainability, and meaningful investment in people are foundational to durable growth.

In China today, that spirit is alive everywhere I look. I see it in our supply chain partners transforming manufacturing to make it smarter and greener. I see it in developers building apps that change how people learn and create. I see it in young people studying environmental science and innovation at universities across China, determined to tackle some of the world's most complex challenges.

These stories are all part of China's remarkable journey. They are also powerful examples of the progress this forum exists to champion. The China Development Forum offers leaders from China and the international business community an invaluable platform for open, substantive discussion about the most pressing issues of our time. In today's rapidly changing world, I believe this kind of engagement has never been more essential.

At Apple, we are optimistic about the incredible advances happening across the country, and we're committed to realizing their full potential by working together. We need to continue engaging, recognizing that, even in uncertain times, there are opportunities for everyone to prosper. And we have to keep asking how growth can be not just meaningful, but more innovative, more sustainable, and more impactful for the people and communities we serve.

As the Chinese proverb reminds us, when everyone participates in gathering the firewood, the flames rise higher. That is the spirit I hope will animate this year's China Development Forum. Thank you for being part of this important conversation.

蒂姆库克.png

Tim Cook

Chief Executive Officer, Apple Inc.