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EVENT

Dialogue with Leader

5th Global Urban Competitiveness Forum

2008.07.26 - 2008.07.27

The Fifth International Forum on “Global Urban Competitiveness” (“The Forum”) was successfully held in Yangzhou on 26th – 27th of July 2008. Initiated by the Global Urban Competitiveness Project (GUCP), this year’s Forum was organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and Yangzhou Government and supported by the Better Hong Kong Foundation (“Foundation”). Around a hundred of experts and scholars from China and overseas as well as senior officials from local governments have attended the Forum and exchanged their views on the strategies and challenges raised by the increasingly fierce competition amongst cities, both locally and internationally.

 

The Foundation’s Council Members Mrs. Judy YU HONG (Carsac Limited, Managing Director), Ms. Winnie NG (The Kowloon Motor Bus Co Ltd, Director), Executive Director Ms. Karen TANG and Communications Manager Ms. Jimmie CHOW attended the Forum. By the invitation of the Foundation, Mr. CHIU Liang Ching (Ming Pao Weekly Magazine, Columnist), Ms. Chole LAI (South China Morning Post, Shanghai Correspondent), Mr. Christopher WILSON (The Economist, Asia Research Correspondent), Mr. WONG Bun Yuen (Reuters News, Editor and Head of Reuters Chinese News) also joined the Foundation’s delegation. Besides, Business Development Directors of Creative Connexions, UAL Ventures (China) Ltd. Also joined the Foundation’s delegation, they are: Ms. SIU Chung Chi (Business Development Director in the Hong Kong office), Ms. ZHANG Yanyan (Business Director in the Beijing office) and Mr. PAN Yuhu (Business Director in the Shanghai office).

 

As one of the officiating guests at the opening ceremony of the Forum held on 26th of July 2008, the Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen TANG was invited to deliver a speech on the occasion. The Forum was then commenced with the presentations on the theme report on “The Sustainable Development of Oriental Countries” and the case study on Yangzhou. The Mayors Round-table Meeting was also conducted successfully with fruitful discussions made in the afternoon session. To welcome the delegates and to show them the beauty of the city, the Yangzhou Government hosted a dinner reception and followed by a night boat trip around the city.

 

The highlight of the Forum was the release of the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (2007 – 2008) by Dr NI Pengfei, the General Secretary of the GUCP on the last day of the Forum. The study covered over 500 cities around the world in which Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing were ranked 26th, 41st, 64th and 66th respectively. The study also showed that the top 20 cities with highest economic growth are mainly from China. Scholars from Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Germany as well as China Mainland have also shared their studies and research results on urban competitiveness with participants of the Forum. After the closing ceremony, Ms Karen Tang, Executive Director of the Foundation chaired the press conference for the Forum in which over 20 journalists from local and overseas media attended.

 

Since the inception of the Forum in 2004, this annual Forum has been successfully staged in Tsing Tao, Ottawa, Chengdu, Seoul and Yangzhou respectively. The Foundation would like to congratulate the CASS and Yangzhou Government for the success of this year’s Forum.

 

For details of the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (2007 – 2008) and presentation materials of some speakers, please click here .

 

 


Ms. Karen TANG (first from right), Executive Director of the Better Hong Kong Foundation, and the guests on the opening ceremony of the Forum, including: Mr. JI Jianye, the local (Yangzhou) Secretary of the Municipal Committee of the CPC, (fifth from right); Mr. CHEN Jiagui, Deputy Director of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Mr. SHI Heping, Deputy Mayor of Suzhou City (sixth from right)


Ms. Karen TANG (Executive Director, The Better Hong Kong Foundation) spoke on the opening ceremony


Media members invited by the Foundation: Mr. WONG Bun Yuen (first from left: Reuters News, Editor and Head of Reuters Chinese News); Mr. Christopher WILSON (second from left: The Economist, Asia Research Correspondent); Ms. Chole LAI (third from left: South China Morning Post, Shanghai Correspondent) and Business Development Directors of Creative Connexions, UAL Ventures (China) Ltd. Invited by the Foundation: Ms. SIU Chung Chi (Business Development Director in the Hong Kong office), Ms. ZHANG Yanyan (Business Director in the Beijing office) and Mr. PAN Yuhu (Business Director in the Shanghai office)(in the back row)back row)