SHANGHAI, March 21 (Reuters) - China's Vice Premier He

Lifeng met with executives from a number of multinational firms

in Beijing on Saturday, inviting them to increase investment in

China and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, according to

state media.

* He met with the heads of HSBC ( HSBC ), UBS,

Louis Dreyfus, Siemens Healthineers, Schneider

Electric, Rio Tinto, Prudential,

Investor AB, Standard Chartered ( SCBFF ), Suzano

and Tencel, the official Xinhua news agency said.

* He said the world's second-largest economy has been

building on steady progress, adding that during the 15th

Five-Year Plan, China will create broader market opportunities

for multinational companies.

* The executives said they have full confidence in the

Chinese economy and are committed to further developing their

presence in the country and expanding investments, according to

Xinhua.

* The meeting took place at Beijing's Diaoyutai State

Guesthouse, Xinhua said. It came ahead of the China Development

Forum (CDF) business event scheduled for March 22-23.