HONG KONG, May 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong proudly announces the successful reinstatement of its Annual China Conference, held on May 18 at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong.
The Annual China Conference is a high-end business communication platform that AmCham HK structures for corporate executives, experts and scholars to share insights and experience on doing business in China and on identifying near-term challenges and opportunities.
This year's conference theme was "China's Economic Reform: Crossroads or Roundabout?" The agenda included two keynote addresses and six panel discussions, all of which included interaction with the audience.
Charles Li, Chief Executive of HKEx, said in his opening keynote address that the development of RMB business in Singapore, New York, and London will not threaten the status of Hong Kong's offshore RMB center, but will help promote the internationalization of the RMB. He stated further that he hopes that when the capital market controls are relaxed, Mainland capital will "go out" via Hong Kong. As that happens, Hong Kong needs to be more vigorous about improving its tax system and building more even more sophisticated technological and financial infrastructure in order to become a premier asset management center.
John Rice, Vice Chairman of General Electric Company, and President & CEO of GE Global Growth & Operations, said during his luncheon keynote address that GE is undertaking an increased number of joint ventures in China. He said the operating experiences of partnerships in the Chinese market were a win-win situation as GE continues to buy more, sell more, and make more in China. He said the company aims to double the number of its joint ventures to 56 in China within five years.
Topics for the six panel discussions were:
- Emerging Business Opportunities From Hong Kong's Role in China's 12th 5-Year Plan
- Made in China, Or Elsewhere?
- Chinese Companies Going Abroad
- The PRD Technology & Innovation Axis
- Hong Kong & RMB Internationalization - "Shang-Shen-Kong" Ahead?
- Leadership & Innovation: Hong Kong's Role in Transportation and Logistics Across the Pearl River Delta.
A total of 26 prominent business leaders and experts shared their insights through panel discussions and Q&A with the audience. These panel speakers and moderators included:
- Jonathan Beard, Managing Director, GHK HK Ltd.
- Sara Yang Bosco, President, Emerson Electric Asia Pacific
- Glen Burrows, Area Vice President, Dell Inc
- Prof. Steven DeKrey, Senior Associate Dean, Director of Masters Programs, Adjunct Professor of MGMT, School of Business & Management, HK University of Science & Technology
- Zhen Feng, Executive Deputy GM of Business Development Department, China Merchants Group
- Bill Foudy, Head of Strategy and Brand Sourcing Global Operations - Apparel Sourcing, Adidas Sourcing
- Tom Gorman, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, FORTUNE China
- W. John Hoffmann, Co-Founder & Principal, XRG - Exceptional Resources Group
- Stanley Jia, Chief Representative & Partner, Baker & McKenzie LLP
- Jack Lau, Chairman & CEO, Perception Digital
- Dr. Robert Lee, Executive Chairman &Co-founder, Achievo Corp.
- Antony Leung, GBS, Senior Managing Director & Chairman - Greater China, The Blackstone Group
- Jun Ma, Managing Director, Chief Economist for Greater China and Head of China/HK Strategy, Deutsche Bank
- Mark McCombe, Chairman, BlackRock Asia-Pacific
- Thomas Nelson, Managing Director, VF Asia Ltd. and VP, Global Product Procurement, VF Corp.
- Jon Parker, Principal, Transaction Services, KPMG
- Wensheng Peng, Chief Economist, China Int'l Capital Corp. Ltd.
- Minggao Shen, Managing Director & Head of Research, Citi Investment Research & Analysis, China
- Andrew Sheng, President, Fung Global Institute
- Tim Smith, Chief Executive, North Asia, Maersk Line
- Jason Tan, Senior Vice President, Desktop Ltd.
- John Tan, Head of Global Markets, Co-Head, Wholesale Banking, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited
- James Thompson, GBS, Chairman & Founder, Crown Worldwide Group
- David Wong, Deputy Chief Executive, Bank of China (HK) Ltd.
- Ir Allen TB Yeung, Vice President, Business Development & Technology Support, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corp
- Lili Zheng, Co-leader of Asia Pacific International Core of Excellence, Deloitte
Around 200 corporate executives and researchers from all sectors of industries attended the Conference, along with 30 media representatives.
"The tremendous response to AmCham's reinstated China Conference from the participants demonstrated the value of this high-end platform for business communication," says Richard Vuylsteke, AmCham HK President. "Our participants appreciated our focus on timely and practical issues of China business development, and the candid speaker-audience interaction."
In the intervening months before next year's China Conference, AmCham HK plans to host a series of speaker events that will drill deeper into the topics raised in the May 18 China Conference.
About AmCham HK
The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham) is one of the largest American Chambers outside the United States, the largest international chamber in Hong Kong, and one of the most dynamic and influential international business organizations in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mission
To foster commerce among the United States, Hong Kong, and Mainland China; and to enhance Hong Kong's stature as an international business center.
Fast Facts
- Hong Kong Citizen: AmCham is a non-partisan, non-profit business organization registered in Hong Kong. Since 1969, AmCham has been promoting business and fostering greater trade ties and community service in Hong Kong for more than 40 years.
- Members: Nearly 2,000 members (over 30 nationalities), from over 800 organizations, including multinational firms, small & medium sized enterprises, entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations.
- Committees: 28 committees covering industry sectors, professional service sectors, and special segments of the membership. These include Financial Services, Real Estate, Energy, Trade & Investment, Environment, China Business, Young Professionals, and many other committees.
- Activities: More than 400 programs, seminars and conferences each year, featuring top business and government leaders, industry experts, and professional facilitators who address timely and relevant business issues.
- China Affairs: Keep members informed about business developments and opportunities in Mainland China by organizing trade delegations to Chinese provinces and cities and participating in conferences and events. Develop and provide business briefing programs to facilitate member companies to do better business in China and to help members promote services in assisting Chinese companies successfully going global.
Media contact:
Mr. Dannio Chan
Tel: +852-2530-6917
Fax: +852-2810-1289
Email: dchan@amcham.org.hk
