The Fortune Global Forum this May in Beijing will serve as a platform for the world to better understand China and keep the world abreast of latest developments in China, said Robert E. Bierman, president of Fortune's conference division.

The May 16-18 forum will be the third to be staged in China, following Shanghai in 1999 and Hong Kong in 2001.

"As the capital of China, Beijing is the center of political and economic power in China. It is also home of the 2008 Olympics, and a city rich in history," Mr. Bierman explained why Fortune chose Beijing this time.

"China has spent a lot of time understanding the world, which is a good thing, and now the rest of the world will spend time learning to understand China," he said.

Besides 300 chief executive officers and government officials from around the world, about 300 international guests and 200 important Chinese guests are invited to the Forum, who are not in the Global 500 list.

The forum aims to help those who are interested in investing China with a focus on understand the fundamental changes being driven by government, consumers and corporations in the region.

What is special for 2005 Forum

The May forum will include two special roundtable meetings on sports and culture, Mr. Bierman said.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics is a major catalyst, and rapid development is also occurring in virtually every other sports sector. This program will bring together the leaders of sports in China and experts from around the globe to discuss these fascinating changes and explore the opportunities the sport event will present to multinational companies.

The culture roundtable meeting will examine in detail the evolving role of the media, megacities, education, the emerging affluent class and the luxury market.

Bierman added that CEOs from multinational companies are looking for insights that go beyond economics to explore local culture. "Without a good understanding of the underlying culture, how can you run a successful business in a foreign country?"

The Beijing Forum will run from May 16-18.

(China Daily February 25, 2005)