BEIJING, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with John Swire & Sons Limited CEO Merlin Swire and Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan on Monday in Beijing, who are here for the China Development Forum 2025.

When meeting with Merlin Swire, Han said China sticks to the right direction of economic globalization, upholds the world trade rules system, and unswervingly advances reform and opening up, which will inject more stability and certainty into global economic development.

Han noted that the Swire Group, a globally renowned multinational company, has seen strong development in both the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He expressed hope that the company will actively contribute to the building of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan Free Trade Port, while also supporting Hong Kong's role as an international aviation hub.

During his meeting with Vas Narasimhan, Han praised Novartis as a world-renowned innovative pharmaceutical company that has made significant contributions to global health. He emphasized that the Chinese government encourages and supports the research and development of innovative drugs, will strengthen intellectual property rights protection in accordance with the law and strive to create a better innovation environment for foreign companies, including Novartis.

It is hoped that Novartis will seize the opportunity, give full play to its own advantages, deepen and expand mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides, and achieve greater development in China, he said.

Merlin Swire and Vas Narasimhan both spoke highly of China's economic and social development achievements in recent years, and expressed optimism about the country's future prospects and confidence in investing in China.

Both companies expressed their commitment to long-term cooperation with China, noting that they will continue to expand their investments and work toward new outcomes in mutually beneficial cooperation between Britain and China, as well as Switzerland and China. Enditem

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