The APEC Youth Festival- APEC Young Leaders/Entrepreneurs Forum opens here Wednesday. Chinese President Jiang Zemin sends a congratulatory letter to the forum.

More than 230 young entrepreneurs, scholars and government officials from all 21 APEC member economies attended the forum.

At the opening ceremony, Jiang's letter was read by Zhou Qiang, first secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of Communist Youth League of China.

Jiang says in the letter that it is wise and insightful for APEC member economies to enhance human capacity building and training of young talents, and he believes that this forum will certainly become an important arena for young talents from the Asia-Pacific region to learn new knowledge, foster creative ideas and seek economic cooperation.

Zhou Qiang and Canadian National Revenue Minister Martin Cauchon addressed the opening ceremony on behalf of all representatives. Zhou said that in an era of the "new economy", APEC should give full play to the initiative and potential of young people, enhance exchanges and cooperation, and build up a multilevel and diversified cooperation mechanism.

Martin said that through the forum, the participants could better know the approaches to business success by young entrepreneurs in the new economy.

While voicing his congratulations to the forum, Shanghai vice mayor Zhou Muyao clicked the mouse to unveil a virtual trade show together with Zhou and Martin.

The theme of the forum is "building common prosperity by meeting challenges of young leaders and entrepreneurs in the new economy." The participants will deliver speeches, hold symposiums and join the virtual trade show.

They will also exchange views on how to improve renovation, trade and investment in the new economy, and how to promote the youth’s participation in the process of the APEC economic cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency 07/11/2001)