APEC China CEO Forum Takes Off

Danial Norjidi
Saturday, 09 June 2012

Bandar Seri Begawan – The inaugural APEC China CEO Forum was officially launched in Beijing on Thursday.

Co-convened by Bruneian Company Asia Inc Forum and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the event saw more than 300 business figures and government officials from China and APEC in attendance.

According to a press statement from Asia Inc Forum, the inaugural forum opened with a keynote address by Hui Liangyu, Vice Premier of China.

This was followed by a wide-ranging discussion with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, which was moderated by Dato Paduka Timothy Ong, the Chairman of Asia Inc Forum and Co-Host of this APEC China CEO Forum.

Mr Rudd, who speaks fluent Mandarin, spoke on the European crisis, the sustainability of China’s growth and the importance of regional security underpinning economic growth.

On balance, Mr Rudd was optimistic about the future of China and the Asia-Pacific but emphasised that the peace and security the region has enjoyed cannot be taken for granted.

Other distinguished figures who took part in the forum included leading Chinese business figures such as Gary Locke, the US Ambassador to China; Long Yongtu, former China chief negotiator for the WTO; Frank Ning, Chairman of COFCO; Serge Pun, Chairman, SPA Myanmar; Bert Hofman, Chief Economist, The World Bank; and Matias Mori, Executive Vice-President, Foreign Investment Committee of Chile.

The APEC China CEO Forum is a two-day programme which was aimed at providing business leaders from around the Asia-Pacific greater understanding and insight on doing business in and with China in the context of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation).

The forum was organised as a unique networking and learning platform for the three hundred Chairmen and CEOs in the Asia-Pacific who attended, and complements the upcoming APEC CEO Summit in Vladivostok, Russia in September.

—Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Source: http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/Local-News/apec-china-ceo-forum-takes-off.html