Chinese President Xi Jinping has touted his country's openness and promises to deliver more. This came during a meeting with executives of multinational companies. They are in Beijing for a Global CEO Council meeting. Xi and the executives on Thursday also discussed topics ranging from the Belt & Road Initiative and smart manufacturing, to green development and global governance.  

Market access, growing imports, and stronger protections for intellectual property. That's what global CEOs were assured of Thursday by China's top leader.

President Xi Jinping made the remarks as the country celebrates its 40th year of its reform and opening-up. The policies that have since followed boosted China's economy to become the world's second largest, helped lift more than 700 million of the country's people out of poverty, and made fortunes for international companies that these CEOs represent.

And the policy will not stop.

XI JINPING CHINESE PRESIDENT "In April this year at the Boao Forum, I announced some major measures to open up the economy. Don't think that these steps have been forgotten -- I have been honoring my words with actions.I announced then that we would significantly and vigorously broaden market access, create a more attractive investment climate, strengthen protection of intellectual property rights and take expand imports as well as other major measures, which include creating a free port in Hainan province."

More measures have been seen as China pursues a higher quality of openness. This includes the Belt & Road Initiative that has been underway for five years, and the Hainan free trade port that China vows to set up by 2020.

However, Xi told the global CEOs that world economic growth is still weak, as trade protectionism, isolationism and populism continue to rise, and the challenges to world peace and development are getting more severe. His remarks were echoed by participants who said they appreciate China's firm support for globalization and its opposition to protectionism. The dialogue took place as worries about US-China trade conflicts hit global markets. Days ago, China said the US "has initiated a trade war" in response to the latest US round of tariffs on Chinese goods.