KEY REASONS NOT TO MISS THE HONGQIAO INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM

The seventh Hongqiao International Economic Forum, also known as HQF, takes place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) from Nov 5 to 10.

Under the theme of High-Standard Opening-up for Universally Beneficial and Inclusive Economic Globalization, the seventh HQF features the main forum and 19 parallel sessions. These parallel sessions encompass the Press Release and International Symposium on the World Openness Report 2024, as well as discussions focused on opening-up for development, opening-up for cooperation, opening-up for innovation and opening-up for sharing.

Furthermore, the seventh HQF plans to host promotional events aimed at encouraging investment in China and closed-door meetings such as roundtables for foreign-funded enterprises. This year, the HQF features seven highlights:

Highlight 1: Exploring cutting-edge topics with a global perspective

The 2024 HQF covers a wide range of hot topics such as climate change, the Global South, the 30th anniversary of the WTO, international cooperation on standards, artificial intelligence, new energy vehicles and consumption upgrades. The discussions surrounding these topics involve new quality productive forces, high-standard opening-up, new-type industrialization and the debut economy. They not only address top-level design but emphasize industry applications.

This approach aligns with the strategic positioning of the HQF, aiming to advance global openness, enhance global economic governance and strengthen its role as a provider of international public goods.

With the aim of selecting appropriate topics, the forum organizers conducted consultations worldwide, including with the United Nations System. The permanent representatives of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Uganda (G77 Chairman), Cuba and Nicaragua to the UN, as well as representatives of international organizations, including the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the International Trade Centre all acknowledged the contribution of the China International Import Expo and HQF to economic globalization, South-South cooperation and the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and offered valuable opinions on the forum's topic selection.

Highlight 2: Heavyweights sharing their professional insights

The seventh HQF extends invitations to government representatives, international organizations, business leaders, and top scholars from both domestic and international spheres to share their insights across various fields and topics.

Among the guests are the Nobel laureates in economic sciences Christopher Antoniou Pissarides and Eric Stark Maskin; Nobel laureates in chemistry Michael Levitt and Michael Stanley Whittingham; Turing Award winner Joseph Sifakis; Fields Medal winner Hugo Duminil-Copin; Professor Zheng Yongnian, dean of Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen; Zhang Yuyan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; and Professor Ning Gaoning of Peking University; senior officials of international organizations including Pedro Manuel Moreno, deputy secretary-general of United Nations Conference on Trade And Development; Fatou Haidara, deputy to the director-general and managing director of the Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations of UN Industrial Development Organization; global executives of enterprises such as AstraZeneca, 3M, Danone, L'oreal, HSBC, BHP Group Limited, PepsiCo, Rio Tinto Group, Louis Dreyfus Company, Cargill, Asia Pulp & Paper, Qualcomm, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Savencia and BMW; and leaders of Chinese enterprises such as Bank of China, ICBC, COSCO Shipping, China Pacific Insurance, Wuliangye Yibin, Bank of Communications, the Export'"Import Bank of China and Honor Device.

Highlight 3: Enhancing interactions to cultivate an influential communication platform

The CIIE & HQF Gala, a networking session preceding the opening ceremony, has been enhanced to foster idea exchanges among guests from government, business and academic sectors, aiding the exploration of trade and investment opportunities.

The guest list for the opening ceremony is being updated to help attendees forge stronger connections. Mainstream media outlets are invited to partake in discussions and ignite inspiration.

This year, details about the HQF are accessible on the CIIE app and WeChat program. The CIIE app offers comprehensive services such as forum registration, information retrieval and guest interactions to enhance engagement.

Moreover, the seventh HQF introduces a range of enhanced guest interaction services. These include opportunities for guests to engage in discussions in VIP rooms before meetings, participate in Q&A sessions during the meetings and partake in small-scale discussions following the meetings. These improvements are designed to promote continued dialogue and enhance interactions among all relevant participants.

Highlight 4: Groundbreaking research findings are unveiled

The World Openness Report 2024 and the latest World Openness Index are to be released. Being the flagship report of the HQF, the World Openness Report has been consistently published for three years with great success. It has garnered an enthusiastic response from society, leading to a continuous expansion of its influence. The report is evolving into a global benchmark for mutual openness, a gauge of China's high-level openness and a guiding authoritative brand for the HQF.

Meanwhile, several government agencies and international organizations plan to publish reports, proposals, roadmaps and other results at the HQF. These include the UNCTAD's Trade and Development Report 2024 (first release in China); UNIDO's Industrial Development Report 2024 (first release in China); National Standards in Foreign Languages and International Standardization Roadmap for Smart Manufacturing by the Standardization Administration of China; the 2024 Index of Chinese City Capacity to Actively Respond to Population Aging by the State Information Center of China; Silver Economy: Shared Well-Being for All - 2024 Global Silver Economy Research Report by the Fudan Institute on Aging; Sustainable Trade in the Context of Global Climate Change by the Center for China and Globalization; Opportunities and Challenges for Youth in Technological Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Economic Globalization by the Taihe Institute; a cooperative initiative co-published by nine pilot free trade zones along the Yangtze River Economic Belt; the BRBR Initiative to Accelerate the Digital Transformation of Inclusive Finance and the ChinaBond-ICBC Selected Bond Indices themed the five major articles'?by ICBC.

Highlight 5: Innovative integration of the forum and the expo

The seventh HQF maximizes its advantage of being held concurrently with the CIIE, introducing innovative initiatives such as sub-forums at the booths and guest group visits.

A sub-forum with the theme Gathering Global Quality Consumption Resources and Promoting Consumption Upgrading is taking place at the Consumer Goods Exhibition Area, where industrial experts, HQF members and CIIE enterprise alliance members are participating in dialogues and discussions.

A sub-forum titled the Future of Global New Energy Vehicles welcomes guests to explore the CIIE Automobile Exhibition Area to promote exchanges. The innovative scenarios and formats not only enhance the synergy between the expo and the forum but assist in-depth discussions on industry trends, fostering a professional, high-quality and diverse exchange experience.

Highlight 6: Strong professional partners provide assistance

The HQF has joined hands with government departments including the National Development and Reform Commission; Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council; State Administration for Market Regulation; Standardization Administration of China and National Medical Products Administration, as well as international organizations such as UNCTAD, UNIDO, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, and UNICEF to organize sub-forums.

Meanwhile, some sub-forums are held in partnership with professional media outlets and think tanks including Xinhuanet, Economic Information Daily, The Paper, the CAS Institutes of Science and Development, the Center for China and Globalization, and the Taihe Institute. These professional organizers ensure the world-class standard and overall quality of the forum.

Highlight 7: Intensive exposure supported by mainstream media

The HQF's media partners provide comprehensive coverage of the forum before, during and after the event. Prior to the forum, they release information about important guests and promotional videos. During the opening ceremony, mainstream media are invited to the news rooms to conduct interviews with key guests.

Major media outlets are invited to cover the sub-forums through real-time photo sharing, feature stories and promotions. Certain sub-forums are even transformed into television programs. Continuously updated results of the forum and brief videos capturing guests' opinions during the sub-forums are shared on the CIIE official website to maximize exposure.