Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend the opening ceremony of the 2005 Fortune Global Forum and give a keynote speech, said Qian Xiaoqian, vice director of the State Council Information Office, Tuesday at a press conference.

The forum, to be held in Beijing from May 16 to 18 and with the theme of "China and the new Asian century," includes two roundtable meetings on sports and culture, said Robert Bierman, president of the Fortune Conference Division.

Rik Kirkland, managing editor of Fortune, said that the forum attendants will look in depth at what China and the new Asian Century mean to "the world of business and the businesses of the world."

Topics such as "Understanding China's Capital Market," "Energy: Finding Fuel for Continued Economic Growth" and "Intellectual Property: More Turmoil or Mutual Understanding," will be covered at the three-day forum.

Wang Hui, director of the Information Office of Beijing Municipal Government, said the preparation work is going on smoothly.

More than 300 overseas participants will be present at the forum, including business leaders from around the world and corporations such as HSBC, General Motors, Samsung, Qualcomm, Disney, e-Bay and Infosys.

Sources from the organizing committee revealed that the forum will go beyond economic numbers and take a balanced look at the deeper story behind China's economic development.

The programme consists of a mix of plenary sessions, workshops and events providing an in-depth look at the opportunities and challenges of multinational corporations and countries as they do business throughout Asia.

The 2005 FORTUNE Global Forum will be the ninth of its kind and the third held in China, with Shanghai and Hong Kong having been hosts in 1999 and 2001 respectively.

By People's Daily Online