Dozens of global CEOs gathered online on October 18 for the 32nd annual meeting of the International Business Leaders Advisory (IBLA) Council. The meeting was focused on the city's greater opening up and high-quality development, as heads of global enterprises offered their valuable advice and suggestions.

Li Qiang, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committeeof the Communist Party of China, introduced the city’s current development goals. Facing the 14th Five-Year Plan, Shanghai is now continuously optimizing the business environment, further increasing the level of openness, and implementing more market-oriented reforms.

Global heads shared ideas in terms of Shanghai’s opportunities and challenges amid the changing international situation, boosting industrial structural upgrading and strengthening the city’s development resilience.

As reported by Shanghai Observer, Carmine Di Sibio, global chairmanand CEO of EY and also a member of the advisory council, said that there are very few cities in the world that give foreign companies support as strong as Shanghai and he has full confidence in Shanghai’s development.

In the view of Jean-Paul Agon, chairman and CEO of L'Oréal Group, Shanghai has an excellent business environment. Shanghai could do more in introducing product approval standards and simplifying the procedure, while further expanding tax-free businesses, so as to attract more companies.

City Mayor Gong Zheng summarized that Shanghai will take the precious suggestions to embrace complete openness, new city governance and a world-class environment.