The 2003 Forbes Global CEO Conference kicked off in Shanghai Tuesday, focusing its topics on China's role in the global economy.

With the title of "Energizing Global Business: The China Factor", the three-day conference has attracted approximately 400 regional and global CEOs to discuss and debate the global economy, as well as China's role in global business, finance and geopolitics.

The conference was organized by the leading US business magazine--Forbes, and supported by the Shanghai municipal government. This is the third time that the Forbes Global CEO Conference has been held in Asia. In 2001 and 2002, the conference was held in Singapore and Hong Kong.

"The fact that Forbes has chosen Shanghai as the host city for the 2003 Forbes Global CEO conference is testimony to the growing importance of the China market to the global economy," said Steve Forbes, President, CEO and editor-in-chief of Forbes, in Tuesday's press release about the conference.

Steve Forbes said Forbes recently recognized Shanghai as "the most promising place in the world for entrepreneurs and China's gateway to the world economy."

He added that as the financial, economic and business hub in China, Shanghai fully demonstrate the fruits and prospect of China's open-up and economic reform.

According to Steve Forbes, highly localized content turns out to be an important feature of this year's Forbes Conference.

A dozen themed sessions have been arranged for the conference, most of which are closely tied in to the economic development in China and Asia.

Another significant feature of the conference is the extensive, active participation of Chinese entrepreneurs, said Forbes, adding that their involvement highlights Chinese entrepreneurs' increasingly important role in the world economy.

Forbes said the conference not only provides a chance for China's domestic enterprises to better understand their foreign counterparts and world economic trends, but also provides a platform for domestic and overseas enterprises to communicate and learn from each other.

"The conference will definitely exert a profound influence on the growth of Chinese enterprises and entrepreneurs."

Forbes is a leading US business magazine, with its international edition, Forbes Global, enjoying a worldwide audience of nearly 5 million readers, topping 1 million in total circulation.

(Xinhua News Agency September 17, 2003)