Editor's note: Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 2017 Fortune Global Forum, which opened in the city of Guangzhou Wednesday. The following are some of those responses.

Dr Frank-Jurgen Richter, founder and chairman of Horasis, poses for a photo at the Fortune Global Forum in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, Dec 6, 2017. [Photo by Wang Yanfei/chinadaily.com.cn ]

We heard this morning that President Xi Jinping said China will be an open economy. We see protectionism rising all around the world, but China is defending globalization and a part of the phenomenon. And I believe China will lead global innovation as more and more Chinese companies are coming to the forefront of technology. We should all try to get involved and work with China. My own company is organizing a summit focusing on entrepreneurs in China, helping them make globalization happen. We want to continue to this cooperation, helping Chinese companies build global brands that originate in China.

Jon Stanton, CEO of The Weir Group PLC, poses for a photo at the Fortune Global Forum in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, Dec 6, 2017. [Photo by Lu Haoting/chinadaily.com.cn]

I think it is a very exciting opportunity for companies to expand and grow in China and work more closely together. My company is relatively small in China. But the new policies, including the Belt and Road Initiative, and the continuous transformation of the Chinese economy present great opportunities for companies like us to participate in the growth, and the opportunities will be great in the future.

China is hugely important to the global economy, in terms of domestic growth and also the way China wants to participate more internationally and share its growth with other countries around the world. Both domestically and around the world, I think the future is very exciting. It is great to be part of it.

Sun Pishu, CEO of Inspur Group, a major server maker in China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A key takeaway of President Xi's congratulatory letter is that he highlighted once again the importance of keeping China's door open to the outside world to push globalization forward.

The achievements we have made in past decades prove that opening-up is the "golden key" to promoting growth.

Globalization is an irreversible trend, especially in the digital era. Guangzhou, as the starting point of the maritime Silk Road, has blossomed into an international metropolis and business hub. Its transformation has underlined how China contributed to global development.

We will respond to Xi's call for more efforts to deepen international cooperation. We will learn about the latest ideas and technology from other countries and also export China-made products and solutions to foreign economies.