Robert Moritz

China is well positioned to be a source of investment, knowledge transfer, and talents for other countries, as the Belt and Road Initiative is offering huge opportunities, said PwC Global Chairman Robert Moritz in an interview with People’s Daily Online in Da Nang, Vietnam, Nov. 9.

On the sideline of the APEC CEO Summit in the central Vietnamese city, Moritz said China has an opportunity to think about how to invest and work together with others to make the Initiative mutually beneficial and successful. Take Vietnam for example, the Chairman of the leading consulting provider believes it does not have enough capital to actually upgrade its infrastructure, but that “China can play a big and important role in that.”

“That means a great opportunity for China to demonstrate its ability and willingness to participate and focus on areas that are beneficial to its country, but also others.”

Moritz noted that the 19th Nationial Congress of the Communist Party of China was good in terms of the principles and policies set. One of the things that international organizations are looking for is strong domestic growth, and China has that. They are looking for great labor and an educated workforce, and China has that too. But they are also looking for clear laws and regulations, and that is where China can improve a little bit, that is, the ability for foreigners to make investments in and actually do business in China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 25th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting held in Da Nang, Vietnam, from November 10 to 11. This will be the first international multilateral meeting attended by a Chinese leader after the successful conclusion of the 19th CPC National Congress. President Xi Jinping will also attend the APEC CEO Forum and deliver a keynote speech.

“I hope the speech continues in the trend he already said a year ago when he gave a positive speech in APEC in Peru and he gave a positive speech at the DAVOS World Economic Forum,” said Moritz, adding that he expected the positive trend to continue.