Sources from the CHTF organizing committee said some 16 keynote speakers had confirmed they would attend the China Hi-Tech Forum 2003.

The speakers include renowned scientists, prominent entrepreneurs and important government officials from China and abroad.

Aiming at high level, high grade and professional exploration on the theme of high technology and economic development, the Forum will be conducted in four sessions, including the Ministerial Forum of Science and Technology, CEPA Forum, International Scientific and Technological Cooperation and Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisition and Developing Advanced Materials Technologies.

The ministerial forum will feature a keynote speech titled "Science and Technology of the 21st Century" by Prof. Samuel C.C. Ting, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics and Professor at the Massaschusetts Institute of Technology, in the United States and a panel discussion themed "Government's Role as an Impetus Pushing Forward the Development of High Technology and the Economy."

Five ministerial-level senior government officials will address the panel, including Mr. Ma Songde, Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Science and Technology, Lord Sainsbury, Minister of Science and Innovation, U.K., Mr. Andrey S. Koulagin, Deputy Minister of Industry, Science and Technologies of the Russian Federation, Dr. Fawzy El-Refai, Chairman of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, Egypt, and Dr. John J. Gibbons, Former Assistant to the President for S&T, Director of the Office of S&T Policy, U.S.

CEPA forum

Dedsigned as a panel discussion and Q&A session, the CEPA forum will feature addresses by Dr. Zhang Xiaoji, Department Head of Research Department of Foreign Economic Relations, Development Research Center of the State Council, P.R. China, Prof. Song Qun, Deputy Director-General of Foreign Economic Research Institute, National Development and Reform Commiossion, P.R.China and Prof. Robert A. Mundell, 1999 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics, the Founding Father of the Euro.

The third forum will follow the same process of the first two forums while featuring addresses by Mr. Lou Qinjian, Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Information Industry, Mr. Ryuichi (Dick) Yagi, CEO of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Company, Mr. Brian O'Connor, Managing Director, Head of Asia Corporate Finance/M&A Group, Lehman Brothers, U.S. and Mr. Milton Kotler, President of Kotler Marketing Group, U.S.

The last forum will feature keynote addresses by Dr. Henry Weinberg, Senior Vice President and CTO, Symyx Technologies, Inc. and Prof. Helmut Detter, Managing Director at the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt for Business and Technology, Austria and Prof. Chen Liquan, from the Chinese Academy of Engineering. There will also be a Q&A session.

The four sessions will be scheduled each morning and afternoon from Sunday afternoon until Tuesday morning at Shenzhen Wuzhou Guesthouse.

Editor: Catherine