Chinese leader Xi Jinping ‘s remarks at an event signaled that Beijing wants to repair business confidence after years of crackdowns.

Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over a meeting with Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and other prominent entrepreneurs on Monday, signaling Beijing’s endorsement for a long-marginalized private sector now considered key to reviving the world’s No.

During the symposium, Xi also called for continuous efforts to see that the competitive areas of infrastructure are open to market entities in a fair manner, to resolve the difficulties private enterprises face in accessing affordable financing, and to resolve overdue payments to private enterprises.