More than 200 political and business leaders worldwide will gather in Tianjin next month to explore further business opportunities -- now that China is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Former President George Bush of the United States, former President of the Philippines Fidel Ramos, former Prime Minister of Australia Robert Hawk and the WTO's next director-general Supachai Panitchpakdi are some of the invited guests.
Along with the government of Tianjin Municipality, the US-based financial periodical Business Weekly is also the organizer of the "2002 Tianjin Business Weekly Forum," which is scheduled for May 8-9.
The press center of the forum's organization group said it will play an important role in exchanging information among participants from industrial, governmental, international and academic sectors from across the world.
The coastal city's business and industrial hub - Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Area (TEDA) - will arrange the two-day forum.
"Tianjin and TEDA have made great contributions to China's opening-up and reform in previous years, and we want to do more in the new era," said Zhang Jie, head of the center.
International participants are expected to provide China with dynamic suggestions to push forward its reform, Zhang said.
"The co-hosting of the forum will be a landmark in terms of progress for us in Asia," Zhang was quoted in Business Weekly as saying.
(China Daily April 22, 2002)
