Beijing is ready for the three-day Fortune Global Forum scheduled to open on May 16, said Long Xinmin, deputy head of the forum's preparatory group, here Wednesday.

"The opening ceremony and other processes have been improved a dozen times," Long said. "Electricity adjustment, remodeling of the western hall of the Temple of Heaven, stage-building and communication system have all been completed. If the weather changes, we have also a standby venue."

The opening ceremony will be held at the Temple of Heaven.

A rehearsal of the opening ceremony was held Monday. There will be two more rehearsals in the following days to perfect the details, Long said.

Nearly 1,000 waiters and waitresses from 14 hotels, 188 volunteers and more than 30 senior interpreters have been trained to provide service for the forum. More than 4,000 police will be on hand to ensure security.

The forum will be the ninth session and the third one held in China with two previous sessions held in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The annual forum, initiated by US-based Fortune magazine in 1995, is a summit dialogue between economists and entrepreneurs around the globe. Nearly 1,000 business elite, including CEOs, chairpersons and presidents from Wal-Mart, Morgan-Stanley and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp. will attend.

Source: Xinhua