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A five-year-old boy points to a FORTUNE
global forum poster at the Beijing Capital International Airport May 15,
2005.（newsphoto） |
The private jets are streaming in, sparkling limousines are on standby,
multi-lingual guides are at the ready, the best hotels in town are all
decked out and hundreds of banners are strung along the roads.
Yes, there's definitely a buzz in Beijing as the curtain rises on the
three-day FORTUNE Global Forum with a four-hour opening ceremony this
evening.
More than 800 participants - CEOs, chairpersons
and presidents of Global 500 firms and domestic enterprises; top
government officials; and renowned scholars - will be brainstorming
on various issues.
And they will be listening keenly as President Hu Jintao shares his
vision of China and the New Asian Century, the theme of the forum, in his
keynote address.
Robert Bierman, president of the conference division of FORTUNE
Magazine, said yesterday that he expected the forum, the ninth of its
kind, to be the best ever.
"We want it to be perfect," he told a press conference. To that end,
the organizers, not willing to take any chances, have moved the opening
ceremony from the park of the historical Temple of Heaven to the Great
Hall of the People as drizzle is forecast for this afternoon.
But for business leaders from home and abroad, what's more alluring
than a spectacular opening ceremony is the opportunity to network and
debate topics close to their hearts.
For multinationals - 77 of the Global 500 companies are represented -
the forum presents a great opportunity to learn more about China and the
direction the country is headed.
Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan and over a dozen ministers will deliver
keynote speeches or brief participants on the latest developments and new
strategies in sectors such as energy, finance, trade and information
technology.
"I am here to meet Chinese officials and learn more," said Kevan Watts,
chairman of Merrill Lynch who is attending a FORTUNE forum for the first
time but has been to China before.
"It is always good to come back to China," he told China Daily.
Xu Jun, director of external affairs of Wal-Mart (China) Investment,
said his boss - John Menzer, president and CEO of Wal-Mart International -
was keen on exchanges with people at the forum.
"Moreover, he wants to get the views of China's top leadership," he
said.
For Martin Sorrell, chief executive of London-based communications
giant WPP, the mission in Beijing is "to learn and work, not to play."
He said he was very excited with the emerging
opportunities in China's advertisement industry brought about by the country's rapid
economic development, and is seeking fresh ideas at the forum.
(China Daily) | 
Updated: 2005-05-16 10:52
