A marathon "brainstorming session" to identify opportunities in China will attract scores of top scholars, business leaders and government officials next week.

More than 800 delegates are expected to attend the influential three-day Fortune Global Forum, which opens in Beijing next Monday. This year's forum is entitled, "China and the New Asian Century."

"The forum is a venue for ideas instead of business negotiations," Zhao Qizheng, minister of the State Council Information Office, told a news conference yesterday.

"It will benefit CEOs by generating new ideas and will allow them to understand more about the growth of the Chinese economy. It will allow them to offer their analyses about future investment prospects," he added.

Jaime A. FlorCruz, chief representative of the Fortune Global Forum in Beijing, said: "We have a compelling, well thought out agenda of topics." He added, "We expect the 2005 Fortune Global Forum to be probably the best ever."

More than 250 foreign companies -- including Global 500 companies -- will be represented. President Hu Jintao is expected to meet with some of the business leaders on Monday before he delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.

The Fortune Global Forum is an annual event organized by US publication Fortune Magazine. Into its 10th year, this is the third to be held in China. Shanghai and Hong Kong hosted the forum in 1999 and 2001 respectively.

Chinese officials slated to attend include Vice-Premier, Zeng Peiyan; vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Cheng Siwei; Minister of Commerce, Bo Xilai; People's Bank of China Governor, Zhou Xiaochuan; and Minister of Science and Technology, Xu Guanhua. They will brief participants on China's economic policies and prospects for growth.

According to Zhao, China's continued economic growth, improved international relations and the increased attention and interest in the country from multinational companies were some of the reasons why the organizers decided to hold the event here a third time.

"Asia's booming economies have created a win-win scenario; the different economies supplement one another," Zhao said.

He added that China wants the rest of the world to share in its economic growth. "Our growth means opportunities for others," he said.

(China Daily May 10, 2005)