Record attendance at Apec CEO summit

Record attendance at Apec CEO summit

Online discussion forum launched to seek views of broader audience

By LEE U-WEN

(SINGAPORE) Their initial target was 800 participants, but the organisers of a conference next week featuring the world’s top political, business and academic leaders are now expecting an over-subscribed attendance of nearly twice that number - 1,500, to be exact.

Ms Chong: Various channels have been created for the wider community to say their piece
This will be a record turnout for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) CEO Summit since its inception some 13 years ago. This year’s edition - taking place on the 20th anniversary of Apec - will be held at the Suntec Convention Centre from November 12-14.

Already confirmed on the guest list are leaders from the 21 Apec member economies, including United States President Barack Obama, who will be making his first official visit to Singapore since taking office earlier this year; Chinese President Hu Jintao; new Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Also taking part at the annual by-invitation-only event are World Bank president Robert Zoellick, United States Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Copenhagen Climate Council chairman Tim Flannery and several ministers from the Singapore Cabinet.

According to the summit’s organising committee, this year’s agenda - ‘Rebuilding the global economy: crisis and opportunity’ - resonates strongly with all the speakers and participants.

‘There is an urgency to come up with sustainable new business models, right here and right now. To achieve this, the support of all stakeholders across the Asia-Pacific is vital,’ said the committee’s chair, Chong Siak Ching.

To further engage a broader audience to seek their views, an online discussion forum called AsiaPacVoices (www.asiapacvoices.com) has been launched to stimulate public discussion. The site features articles penned by well-known business and thought leaders. ‘We have created these various channels for the wider community to say their piece and have a bigger voice in effecting changes in their economies,’ said Ms Chong, who is also president and CEO of Ascendas. ‘Apec, together with the business community, has undeniably a critical role to play in leading the change and paving the way to sustaining recovery and re-balancing the economies of Asia-Pacific, post-crisis.’

HSBC Holdings group chairman Stephen Green, who will speak at a luncheon address on the opening day, said that the summit would provide a ‘timely occasion’ for world leaders to take stock and look ahead.

‘The region remains remarkably robust in what have been very difficult times and, as we approach year’s end, Asia-Pacific is the world’s fastest growing regional economy,’ he said.

Huang Cheng Eng, vice-president of marketing and the regions at Singapore Airlines, chimed in: ‘It has been an eventful year for the global economy, and an especially difficult one for the aviation industry. I’m hopeful that the outcomes of the summit will serve as the impetus for businesses to discover fresh opportunities amid the downturn, providing a much-needed injection of confidence for people to start travelling again more frequently.’

All the conclusions at the CEO summit will be presented to the Apec leaders for their deliberations during their retreat at the Istana, said Ms Chong.

Source : Business Times - 05 November 2009

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