More than 800 of the world's top business leaders will converge here in November for the only international forum that provides direct contact with leaders of the most powerful nations in the Pacific Rim, most notably US President Barack Obama on his inaugural visit to Singapore.

The APEC CEO Summit will be held in Singapore for the first time from 12-14 November 2009, alongside the APEC Leaders Meeting. This premier business event for the Asia-Pacific region will be opened by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. With the theme "Rebuilding the Global Economy: Crisis and Opportunity", it will bring together Heads of State from the 21 APEC economies, key decision makers from the world's biggest corporations and internationally renowned thought leaders to discuss the most pressing and wide ranging socio-economic and business issues facing the Asia Pacific region today.

Distinguished speakers at the CEO Summit are expected to include President Hu Jintao of China, President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, President Lee Myung-Bak of Korea, President Michelle Bachelet of Chile, President Felipe Calderon of Mexico, President Nguyen Minh Triet of Vietnam, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia, Prime Minister John Key of New Zealand, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore.

To date, the Who's Who list of industry big-wigs speaking at the CEO Summit includes Mr Rex W. Tillerson, Chairman and CEO, Exxon Mobil Corporation; Mr Peter Loescher, President and CEO, Siemens AG; Mr Jiang Jianqing, Chairman, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China; Mr Dennis M. Nally, Global Chairman, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Mr Hermann Ude, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding; Ms Deborah Henretta, Group President for Asia, Procter & Gamble Company; Mr Yngve Slyngstad, CEO, Norges Bank Investment Management; Mr Bader Mohammad Al-Sa'ad, Managing Director, Kuwait Investment Authority; as well as Mr Richard C. Adkerson, President and CEO, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold.

Other esteemed attendees include Mr Shaukat Aziz, Former Prime Minister, Pakistan; Dr Tony Tan, Deputy Chairman, GIC, Singapore; and respected political and socio-economic commentators such as Dr C. Fred Bergsten, Director, Peterson Institute for International Economics; Mr Bjorn Lomborg, author of "Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming"; Professor Timothy Flannery, Chairman of the Copenhagen Climate Council, as well as Mr Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and author of "The New Asian Hemisphere".

The two-day Summit programme will feature speeches, dialogues and panel discussions on topics such as rebuilding the global economy, strengthening corporate governance, harnessing the economics of climate change, leveraging on the power of sovereign wealth funds and multilateral institutions, as well as the redefining the roles of China and the United States in the new global economic landscape.

"It is without doubt that the APEC economies, which include the US, China and Japan, will play a very important role in the global recovery as they contribute to 54.2 percent of the global GDP," said Ms Chong Siak Ching, Chair of the APEC CEO Summit 2009 Organising Committee. "The convergence of thoughts from both the public and private sectors at this Summit, will provide companies and economies with fresh insights and ideas in preparation for the post-crisis world."

Added Ms Chong, who is also President and CEO of Ascendas Pte Ltd, Asia's leading business space provider: "2009 also marks the year of APEC's 20th anniversary, which makes it a double honour for Singapore to be hosting this premier event."

The CEO Summit is partnered by leading multinational corporations, including HSBC, Siemens, DHL , PricewaterhouseCoopers, Procter & Gamble, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold and the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China. Singapore partners include Singapore Airlines, Far East Organisation, PeopleSearch and Ascendas.

The CEO Summit is organised by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF). ABAC is the only non-governmental organisation that is on the official agenda of the APEC Economic Leader's Meeting. Every year, ABAC provides a report to APEC Economic Leaders containing recommendations to improve the business and investment environment in the Asia-Pacific region, and outlining business views about priority regional issues. This year, ABAC's focus is on three areas: accelerating regional economic integration; strengthening capacity building and enhancing connectivity; and championing the need for a model of sustainable development to support growth.

About APEC CEO Summit 2009

The APEC CEO Summit is the premier business event for the Asia Pacific. It brings together the world's most brilliant minds in business and government to address the opportunities in the current economic landscape, identify the direction of future trends and assess areas of collaboration.

Given the global economic challenges faced this year by APEC economies and the world, the APEC CEO Summit 2009 has chosen the theme: "Rebuilding the Global Economy: Crisis and Opportunity". To be held for the first time in Singapore, the event provides the perfect platform for top CEOs in the Asia Pacific region to hear from APEC Leaders and international thought and business leaders ways to address the present economic crisis and fashion a stronger post-crisis financial and economic architecture. For more information, visit http://ceosummit.apec2009.sg.

About Asia-Pacific Business Council

The APEC Business Advisory Council, or ABAC, was created by the APEC Economic Leaders in November 1995 with the aim of providing advice to the APEC Economic Leaders on ways to achieve the Bogor Goals and other specific business sector priorities, and to provide the business perspective on specific areas of cooperation. ABAC provides an annual report to APEC Economic Leaders containing recommendations to improve the business and investment environment in the Asia-Pacific region, and outlining business views about priority regional issues. ABAC is also the only nongovernmental organization that is on the official agenda of the APEC Economic Leader's Meeting.

Each economy nominates up to three members from the private sector to ABAC. These business leaders represent a wide range of industry sectors. Singapore's interests are represented by Mr Teng Theng Dar, CEO of Singapore Business Federation, Ms Chong Siak Ching, President and CEO of Ascendas Pte Ltd and Mr Tang Kin Fei, Group President and CEO of Sembcorp Industries Ltd.

The ABAC International Secretariat is based in Manila, Philippines. The Singapore Business Federation as the APEX business chamber in Singapore is the appointed national secretariat for ABAC Singapore.

About APEC

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, is the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.

APEC is the only inter-governmental grouping in the world operating on the basis of nonbinding commitments, open dialogue and equal respect for the views of all participants. Unlike the WTO or other multilateral trade bodies, APEC has no treaty obligations required of its participants. Decisions made within APEC are reached by consensus and commitments are undertaken on a voluntary basis.

APEC has 21 members - referred to as "Member Economies" - which account for approximately 40.5 percent of the world's population, approximately 54.2 percent of world GDP and about 43.7 percent of world trade. APEC's 21 Member Economies are Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Republic of the Philippines; The Russian Federation; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; Vietnam. For more information: www.apec.org.

(China.org.cn August 21, 2009)