World business leaders meet in HK for Forbes Global CEO Conference

Over 350 top business executives and government leaders from all over the world gathered in Hong Kong Tuesday for the annual Forbes Global CEO Conference to discuss current events, the global economy and the most important issues facing businesses.

This is the second time that the conference, one of the most prestigious global business events, is being held in Hong Kong.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Tung CheeHwa said that with the end of SARS, the global economic recovery and the support of the central government, confidence has been returning and the Hong Kong economy is recovering quickly.

The prospect for Hong Kong, despite the beginning of a new interest-rate cycle, high oil prices and geo-political uncertainties, is encouraging, said Tung.

To sustain the economic recovery, Hong Kong needs to deepen and broaden the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), continue fostering greater co-operation with Guangdong Province and the Pan-Pearl River Delta region, Tung said.

"We will continue to push all policy initiatives to enhance and enrich our position as the world city of Asia," he added.

Under the theme of "the connected world", business and political leaders will share their insights on crucial issues affecting the global marketplace in various sessions at the three-day conference.

Topics include the global economy, off-shoring, global branding, trends in transport and tourism, corporate governance and social responsibility, trade policies, the private sector in China, the CEO and technology and developing global cities.

Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes, said this year's theme is particularly timely and this conference is a tremendous opportunity, both for the city of Hong Kong and the rest of the connected world, to be a part of the exchange of ideas that will ultimately lead to forward progress.

The Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, Mike Rowse, said, "The conference taking place in our city reinforces Hong Kong as an international business center where leaders exchange ideas and make important decisions."

"Major high-profile international business events such as the Forbes CEO Conference provide excellent platforms to demonstrate our city's attractiveness as a prime investment destination to business decision-makers worldwide," he said.

Source: Xinhua