Following Dec. 5's highly anticipated meeting between newly elected Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping and a cross-section of top international specialists currently working in China, a panel of veteran foreign professionals convened Monday to discuss takeaways from the event.

Just 20 days after assuming his role as the new general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi hosted 20 foreign experts from 16 countries for a face-to-face discussion at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The guests got a chance to interact directly with Xi, ask him questions and make suggestions for China's future development.

Two of the selectees who attended last week's sit-down with Xi discussed their recollections with panel of foreign professionals at a symposium held by the State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs on Monday. The 15-person panel represented a large swath of industries and disciplines including electrical engineering, communication and media, law, finance and agriculture.

Pili Mwinyi Khamis from Tanzania shares her impressions of General Secretary Xi Jinping with the panel?held by the State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs in Beijing on Dec. 10, 2012. [Photo by Li Shen/China.org.cn]

Pili Mwinyi Khamis from Tanzania, one of the 20 foreigners who met with Xi last week, shared her impressions with the panel. "His every act and every move was impressive. I felt like a Chinese [person] when I shook hands with the top leader. It's a great honor for me to have the chance to offer my suggestions for China's development," she said.

Khamis agreed with Xi that China is following a path of peaceful development. "Some nations in the world are not following that path." she said. "China has helped the African countries selflessly and applied itself to the opening-up to the African continent." Kharmis said she hopes that China can further open its doors to Africa and contribute more to Africa's development.

Tatsuhito Tokuchi, managing director of CITIC Securities Company Ltd. and Chairman of CITIC Securities International, also attended last Wednesday's meeting with Xi. According to Tokuchi, Xi's speech reinforced China's commitment to further reform and opening up; China's commitment to world peace and global development; and China's commitment to never seeking hegemony or pursuing expansionism.

Tatsuhito Tokuchi delivers a speech at the penal held by the State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs in Beijing on Dec. 10, 2012. [Photo by Li Shen/China.org.cn]

"These three sentences are simple yet crucial. China needs to respond to foreign concerns [about] its rise. It's important for the new Party leader to explain these policies to the outside world. Xi stated these points clearly. I hope foreign friends, especially Japanese can understand this," Tokuchi said.

Tokuchi is a 30-year veteran of securities and finance who has spent over 10 years in China. He said at the panel discussion that China faces two major challenges to reach the goals it set at the 18th National Congress of the CPC: its aging population and process of urbanization. Japan can provide good lessons for China to learn from for these aspects, he said.

"These two challenges cannot be solved separately — they need a top-level design and strategy. The best solution for a part is not the best for the whole. China needs balanced development. But reform must keep going on," he said.

Hartmut Luning delivers a speech at the penal held by the State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs in Beijing on Dec. 10, 2012. [Photo by Li Shen/China.org.cn]

Hartmut Luning, a German host with China Radio International and 17-year China veteran who attended the symposium, said he was happy to learn that Xi mentioned the problems of openness and honesty in his first meeting with foreign professionals working in China. "It applies the ideas of accountability and reliability," he said.

Other panelists offered a variety of suggestions ranging from improving cross-cultural communication to increasing investment in basic sciences.

By the end of 2011, around 530,000 foreign experts were working in China, over 50 times of the number at the end of 1980s.