 'Golden opportunity' to integrate into global business community
By Wang Yu (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-27 09:19 "Show time for new champions in Tianjin"- that is the rousing welcome conveyed from Tianjin Mayor Huang Xingguo. The 2008 Annual Meeting of the New Champions is a golden chance for Tianjin to host the business and policy elite from both home and abroad, not only showcasing the city's achievement as a next growth engine for China, but also enabling the city to learn from and integrate more into the global business community, Mayor Huang contended. "The Summer Davos forum provides a premier forum to show the development and reform achievements," Huang said. "It will also be an opportunity for Tianjin to learn from counterparts from the whole world." The forum will fuel Tianjin's development by promoting the city's international fame, sharpening its competitiveness and facilitating its further integration into the global business arena, he added. "We have given a high priority to the forum," Huang said. "We have four city leaders involved and 14 working groups set up for preparation details. More importantly, we have prepared three opulent presents for the forum," Huang stresses. The first "gift" is the Beijing-Tianjin Inter-City Express Railway, which began regular operation on August 1. It offers high-speed shuttle service for travelers commuting between Beijing and Tianjin at the speed of 300 km an hour for a 30-minute ride between the cities. Formerly the trip took about 2 hours. A second benefit is the Airbus A320 assembly line expected to come on stream during the Summer Davos forum. The project is a landmark in Sino-European economic and industrial cooperation. And the Sino-Singapore Eco-City is planned to break ground during the forum. According to the original planning, Tianjin would have started work on the eco-city in July but the city rescheduled the big moment for the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as Summer Davos. "The three major presents are what Tianjin is offering to guests and friends coming to the Summer Davos forum. We hope they will enjoy them," Huang said with a smile. While completing, planning and building its super-projects, the city made great effort putting finishing touches on preparation work for the annual meeting. Sources from the municipal government said the city is fully geared up for a successful forum, including a renovated exhibition and convention center as the main venue, reception and hotels services, safety and security measures and media services. Andre Schneider, managing director and chief operating officer of the World Economic Forum, said the city's intensive efforts have laid a solid foundation for a successful forum. The gathering is expected to attract more than 1,500 entrepreneurs, politicians and experts from more than 70 countries and regions. In addition to seminars and breakfast meetings, tours promoting environmental protection, energy efficiency, harbor logistics, bio-science, hi-tech and the Binhai New Area development potential will be organized. Following in the footsteps of Shenzhen and Shanghai Pudong, north China's Tianjin is becoming a hub city for international shipping and logistics, modern manufacturing and research and development. Over the past five years, Tianjin saw its GDP jump 15 percent annually. It leads the country in per unit GDP water consumption, water recycling and electricity usage. Traditionally, Tianjin has been known as a manufacturing hub lacking resource materials and a large consumer market. Limited energy resources now require Tianjin to follow an energy efficient and eco-friendly path, such as the Binhai new area eco-city being built on a saline wasteland in partnership with Singapore. (China Daily 09/27/2008 page15) |
