The FutureChina Global Forum (FCGF) 2013 kicked off on 8 July with more than 400 senior business executives, government policy makers, top analysts and researchers, and global thought leaders exchanging perspectives on China’s hot-button issues. The two-day Forum held at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, featured 71 esteemed international speakers from various fields and industries, congregating in Singapore to assess China’s course under the new leadership.
Through a total of 19 plenary sessions and panel discussion, the Forum reviewed the policies and reforms implemented in the new Xi Jinping-Li Keqiang era and also discussed a variety of diversified topics including “Tracking China’s new consumption trends”, “Looking at the new culture emerging in China” as well as tackling the challenges in China’s food, water and air.
“As the world becomes more connected and as China gains global prominence, it is now more and more important for political, business and community leaders to be informed about China’s development and future directions. This year, China ushers in a new phase with the recent change in leadership. It is timely to review the effects of the new policies and reforms to be carried out by the new government,” said Mr Chua Thian Poh, Chairman of Business China, in his welcome speech to the delegates.
With that in mind, the Forum delved right into the topic of “Living with Single Digit Growth” in its opening plenary session with Mr Fredrick Chien Fu, Chairman of Cathay Charity Foundation speaking alongside Mr Victor Chu, Chairman of First Eastern Investment Group, and Mr Nicholas Lardy, Senior Fellow of Peterson Institute for International Economics. It was a highly interactive session which prompted much participation from the delegates.
Joining them on the illustrious list of speakers was Mr Liu Changle, Keynote speaker for Lunch plenary, deliberating on the data explosion generation and the shifting role of Chinese media. Mr Liu is the Chairman & CEO of Phoenix Satellite Television and a well-respected Chinese media personality.
Business China is honoured to have Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam speaking at the Forum for the third consecutive year. Gracing the Forum on the first day as the Keynote speaker for the Dinner Dialogue, DPM Tharman spoke about the complex challenges China is facing. Although the path of reform for China is a difficult one, he felt that the world’s second largest economy has more than an even chance of success. He also shared his insights on the role Singapore has played in the internationalisation of Yuan as well as the urbanisation in China. The stimulating dialogue was moderated by Ambassador-at-large, Professor Chan Heng Chee.
The second day began with two sessions held simultaneously, tackling food, water and air challenges in China on one hand and defining the US-China relationship in the Asia Pacific region on the other.
The Forum drew to a rewarding close with Professor Kishore Mahbubani from Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and Professor Yang Dali from University of Chicago coming together in a Keynote over lunch to speak about China’s rise. In the session, Professor Mahbubani commented that US would need to be a role model for China to ensure China will not walk through loopholes in international law ten years from now. On the other hand, Professor Yang was less pessimistic about a clash between the two leading countries of the world.
At the end of two days of intensive sharing, exchanging and bonding, delegates of the FCGF 2013 walked away with new business-relevant insights on trends shaping China’s growth trajectory and a stronger network with like-minded individuals who are involved and interested in China’s development.
Currently into its 4th installation, the FCGF is a high-level and influential forum established in Singapore by Business China. This independent and interactive bilingual platform creates opportunities for renowned thought leaders from all over the world to gather and share their insights on China’s ever-changing societal and business landscape. The collective wisdom, thought-provoking ideas and fresh perspectives exchanged helped to shed light on ways to better engage China and co-create collaborative growth for all.