By George Lei, Bloomberg Markets Live reporter and strategist
President Xi Jinping is set to visit the Shanghai Futures Exchange and several tech giants on Tuesday, according to a report from the South China Morning Post. The trip, if confirmed, may represent most high-profile attempt yet by the leader to send a pro-business message before the country’s 2024 growth target is decided at next month’s Central Economic Work Conference.
Xi’s potential visit coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone, a testing ground for the country’s economic reforms. Xi is expected to urge local officials to spur cross-border trade and capital flows, according to the SCMP report. Despite China’s reopening this year, the country has found it difficult to attract foreign investments thanks to the deep mental scars left on investors by pandemic-era restrictions.
But Beijing has gone into overdrive trying to spur international business over the past several weeks. Senior Chinese officials have pushed to boost international flights with the US and Europe. On Friday, Beijing permitted citizens from the biggest EU countries to visit visa-free, in yet another step…
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