The announcement was made by Zhang Xuezhong, director of the China committee of the APEC High Level Meeting on Human Capacity Building at a press conference here Thursday.

Zhang, also Minister of Personnel, said that APEC High-Level Meeting on Human Capacity Building was advocated by Chinese President Jiang Zemin and the Sultan of Brunei, and supported by all APEC members. Jiang and the Sultan will host the opening ceremony of the meeting and deliver speeches. Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen will address the closing ceremony.

Zhang said that China will host the APEC informal leadership meeting of 2001 and other related meetings.

The Chinese and Brunei governments have kept close contacts and made full preparations for the meeting, he added.

Zhang noted that building human potential is a necessity for the social and economic development in the new century, and the common hope of all APEC members.

Sources said that 42 percent of APEC projects completed from 1993 to 2000 are related to human capacity building. (more)

Zhang told the reporters that the theme of the meeting is "New Economy, New Strategy: Cooperation and Innovation to Build Human Capacity for Common Prosperity."

He said that 21 APEC members will send delegations to the meeting. The participants will discuss three topics: Challenges Ahead: From Old to New for All Stakeholders; Strategic Options: Working to Reach All People; and Innovative Cooperation: Better Policy Approaches.

He added that the human capacity building high-level meeting, the first of its kind in APEC history, will introduce the Beijing initiative on APEC human capacity building, which will be submitted to the APEC informal leadership meeting and relevant ministerial meetings.

Zhang stressed that China has put forward a strategy to tap human resources, and has taken personnel training as an important measure to promote social and economic development. The meeting will help strengthen cooperation in the field of human capacity building and learn from other countries in this regard.

The meeting has attracted attention of domestic and overseas media. Up to now, more than 130 journalists from over 40 media organizations in China and overseas have registered to cover the meeting.

(People’s Daily 05/10/2001)