Promoting Connectivity and Sharing Trade Prosperity

2016 Silk Road Economic Belt Cities International Forum

 

November 13-15, 2016  Yiwu·China

Your World International Conference Center,

No.100 Xingfuhu Road, Yiwu 322008, Zhejiang Province, China

Agenda

 

(Simultaneous interpretation languages: English, Chinese)

Hosts:

 

Silk Road Think Tank Association (SRTA)

Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China (RDCY)

Municipal People’s Government of Yiwu

Since the “Belt and Road” initiative proposed in September, 2013, the city of Yiwu, located in Zhejiang Province and well-known as the world’s biggest market for small commodities, has become a highlight of the Silk Road Economic Belt. With the average annual trade growth rate more than 30%, and Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe cargo railway serving as an important world logistics corridor, Yiwu therefore has gained appreciation from party and state leaders, and has occupied the front pages of mass media for many times.

 

The “Silk Road Economic Belt Cities International Forum” themed by “Unimpeded Trade and Co-build Prosperity” was held in Yiwu on June 18th, 2015 with around 400 representatives attended, including Chinese and international leaders, diplomatic envoys, business representatives and think tank experts from 42 countries, including former president of Slovenia, Danilo Türk, and former Prime Minister of Spain, Zapatero. The forum has enhanced the international status of Yiwu, and has accelerated the construction of the ‘Belt and Road’ through taking advantage of the uniqueness of the Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe cargo railway which has played an important role in the construction of the international logistics corridor.

 

To promote the construction of the “Belt and Road” through unimpeded trade, improve the cooperation among pivot cities in international trade, construct a cooperation network among pivot cities, and share the prosperity of globalization with people all over the world, we decided to initiative again “Silk Road Economic Belt Cities International Forum”, and invite more guests to Yiwu to discuss the new agenda on the construction of the “Belt and Road” and its trade prosperity.

 

November 13th, 2016 (Sunday)

 

All Day      Registration (Hotel Lobby, Your World International Conference Center)

12:00-14:00  Lunch (Lake Shore Cafe, Your World International Conference Center)

14:00-17:00  Yiwu Visit

18:00-20:00  Welcoming Dinner (Ruyi Ballroom, Your World International Conference Center)

Moderator: Wang Wen, Executive Dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China (RDCY)

Dinner Remark: VIP of International Department, Central Committee of CPC

            VIP of Yiwu Municipal Committee

Dinner Speech: “Something Too Outrageous Even for Fairy Tales” by Zheng Yuanjie, the Top-selling Chinese Writer in the World

November 14th, 2016 (Monday)

 

08:00-09:00   Sign In

09:00-11:20  Opening Ceremony (International Conference Hall, Your World International Conference Center)

Moderator: Zhao Yue, CCTV Business Review Column Producer

 

Opening Remark:

 

Dou Enyong, Assistant Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee 

Leader from Renmin University of China

Gao Xingfu, Vice Governor of Zhejing Province

Keynote Speech:

 

Kevin Rudd, Former Prime Minister of Australia

Benjamin Willianm Mkapa, Former President of Tanzania

Djoomart Otorbaev, Former Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan

Grzegorz W. Kolodko, Former Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Poland

Bruno Maçães, Former Minister for Europe in the Portuguese Government

Sheng Qiuping, Member of Standing Committee of Jinhua City, Secretary of Party Committee of Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province

Ou Xiaoli, Inspector of the Department of Western Region Development, National Development and Reform Commission

Song Lihong, Inspector of Comprehensive Department of Ministry of Commerce

Yao Peisheng, Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People’s Republic of China

 

11:20-11:30  “Promoting Connectivity and Sharing Trade Prosperity” Report Release

 

Presented by: Wang Wen, Executive Dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China (RDCY)

11:30-13:30   Lunch (Lake Shore Cafe, Your World International Conference Center)

13:30-16:45  【Forum I: City Dialogue: Collaborative Development and Future Prospect of International Trade Pivot Cities along the Belt and Road】(International Conference Hall, Your World International Conference Center)

 

Availing of the opportunity of the construction of the “Belt and Road”, it is beneficial to promoting sustainable growth and common prosperity of cities along the Silk Road Belt to enhance the multinational connectivity, improve the cooperation in trade and investment, promote trade and personnel exchange among the cities along the Belt, take advantage of the strategic function of the Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe Railway, improve the construction of logistical ports, information systems, and transnational e-commerce system, promote the coordination of international logistics services and trade strategies, and build the brand of ‘World Business City’ and ‘International Land Port’ of Yiwu. The Forum invited municipal leaders of pivot cities in international trade, diplomatic envoys of the countries along the ‘Belt and Road’, business representatives and professionals in city cooperation to share experience and discuss on the opportunities and challenges and future development of the pivot cities in international trade along the ‘Belt and Road’ in the areas like industry development ,financial innovation, trade service, investment facilitation, information technology, infrastructure construction, IOT(Internet of Things) construction, and personnel exchange.

 

13:30-15:00  First half: Promote City Connectivity and Enhance Trade Cooperation

 

Moderator: Xiong Tao, Member of Standing Committee, Yiwu Municipal Party Committee, Deputy Mayor of Yiwu City

Panelists:

Mohammad Ali Mousavi, Former Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs, Iran

Vinod Kumar Agarwal, Mayor of Moradabad Municipal Corporation, India

Baboo Gulab, Chairman (Mayor) of District Council of Gwadar, Pakistan

Joern Beissert, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Shanghai, Germany

Dan Cristian Popescu, Deputy Mayor, Sector 2 Bucharest City Hall, Romania

Xiao Wunan, Executive Vice-President of Asian Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation

Alfonso Noriega, Trade & Economic Consul, Economic & Commercial Office of Spain in Shanghai, Spain

15:00-15:15  Tea Break

 

15:15-16:45  Second half: Adhere to Strategy of Sustainable Innovation, Broaden Blueprint of City Development

 

Moderator: Jia Jinjing, Director of Macroeconomic Research Department, RDCY

Panelists:

Abdul Ahad Wahid, Acting Mayor, the City of Kabul, Afghanistan

Ghanshyam Ojha, Mayor of Jodhpur, India

Fang Guanghui, Vice Chief Economist of China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC)

Valeriy Matel, Consul General of the Republic of Belarus in Shanghai, Belarus

Lakshitha Pradeep Ratnayake, Consul General, Consulate General in Shanghai, Sri Lanka

Dong Ximiao, Executive Dean of Research Institute of Hengfeng Bank, Visiting Fellow of RDCY

Zahari Zahariev, President of “Slaviani” Foundation, Bulgaria

Hu Biliang, Dean of Emerging Markets Institute and One Belt One Road Institute, Beijing Normal University

13:30-16:45  【Forum II: Cross-border Dialogue: Cross-border Trade Cooperation and Trade Facilitation under New Situation】(Linglong Meeting Room, Your World International Conference Center)

 

With the continuing global economic downturn, sluggish global trade growth, and potential rise of trade protectionism, it needs detailed discussion about how to improve the construction of cross-border trade cooperation and investment facilitation mechanism, establish platforms for innovation and entrepreneurship, innovate international cross-border trade model, deepen cooperation in finance, enhance mutual benefit and trust in the policy coordination, improve connectivity in the infrastructure and information and communication technology, and create fair, stable, and transparent investment environment. We invited business leaders of many countries, enterprise representatives, government officials and professionals in international trade to discuss the feasible schemes of cross-border trade cooperation and trade and investment facilitation under new situations.

 

13:30-15:00  First half: Upgrade Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Deepen Cross-border Trade Cooperation

 

Moderator: Xiang Junyong, Deputy Director of Industrial Research Department, RDCY

Panelists:

Zhang Yanling, Former Executive Vice President of Bank of China, Executive Director of ICC, Senior Fellow of RDCY, Vice Chair of Silk Road Council of International Chamber

Siddiq-Ur-Rehman Rana, Founding Chairman of Pak - China Economic Relations, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce’s & Industry, Pakistan

Lady Xuelin Li Bates, Senior Vice Chairman of UK China Business Association, Honorable Chairman of the Confederation of Chinese Association UK

He Weiwen, Former Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco and New York, Senior Fellow of RDCY

Astrid Skala-Kuhmann, Director of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Belt and Road Initiative Special Advisor, Germany

Rakesh Sharma, Executive Director of Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, Chairman of the India Exposition Mart Limited, India

Hong Junjie, Dean of School of International Trade and Economics, University of International Business and Economics

Jan Bejkovský, Executive Director of New Silk Road Institute Prague, Czech

15:00-15:15  Tea Break

 

15:15-16:45  Second half: Response to New Situation and Promote Trade Facilitation

 

Moderator: Hu Hao, Deputy Director of China Center for Contemporary World Studies of the International Department, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

Panelists:

David Aptsiauri, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the People’s Republic of China, Georgia

Wei Benhua, Former Deputy Administrator of State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Senior Fellow of RDCY

Majidreza Hariri, Vice President of Iran-China Chamber of Commerce & Industries (ICCCI), Iran

Liu Zuozhang, Former Director General of Department of Foreign Investment Administration, Ministry of Commerce of PRC

Sergei Ignatev, Deputy Head of the Section for Economy and Politics of China in Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia

B R Deepak, Professor of Chinese and China Studies at the Centre of Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Zhao Lei, Professor of the Institute for International Strategic Studies, the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China, Initiator of OBOR 100

Zhang Qizhen, Director of the Marketing Department, Zhejiang China Commodities City Group Co., Ltd.

13:30-16:55  【Forum III: University President Dialogue: International Talent Cultivation and International Cooperative School-running】(Feicui Meeting Room, Your World International Conference Center)

 

Cultivation of international talents is pivotal in the implementation of the ‘Belt and Road’ strategy. Considering the countries along the Silk Road and the tremendous difference among them, a large number of international talents with advanced professional knowledge, enterprise management skills and mastery of foreign languages are needed. Universities should launch talent cultivation program to meet the demand of compound talents with wide range of knowledge, multiple-layer skills, national-level perspectives. The sustainable growth of the cities along the Silk Road also needs to integrate resources of universities, enterprises, society and government, and to explore the talent cultivation mechanisms. the city of Yiwu, serving as a fortress of the construction of the ‘Belt and Road’, needs many professionals in international economic and trade cooperation, familiar with cross-border e-commerce, foreign investment program, intellectual property transaction, logistics transportation, international trade, financial and capital investment, and e-finance, and we cannot overlook those entrepreneurs and professional managers with global vision and excellent management skills. We invited leaders from famous universities, both domestic and foreign, to talk about how to cultivate international talents, through personnel exchange mechanism, to promote the development of economy and society of countries and regions along the Silk Road.

13:30-13:40   Yiwu Education Communication Presentation

 

13:40-15:10  First half: The Construction of “Belt and Road” and International Talent Training Path

 

Moderator: He Fan, Chief Economist of RDCY

Panelists:

İhsan Sabuncuoğlu, Rector of Abdullah Gül University, Turkey

Andrzej Chochół, Rector of Cracow University of Economics, Poland

Peng Long, President of Beijing Foreign Studies University

Zhou Guping, Deputy General Secretary of General Committee Office of Zhejiang University, President of China Academy of West Region Development

Li Hong, Secretary of Party Committee, Tianjing Foreign Studies University

Bao Yukun, Party Secretary and Vice Chairman of Social Sciences Association of Guizhou Province

Huang Jianxin, Vice President of Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics

Aigul Kosherbayeva, Professor at the State Management Academy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan

15:10-15:25  Tea break

 

15:25-16:55 Second half: Build Consensus on International Cooperative School-running, Work out Blueprint of Yiwu’s Future Development

 

Moderator: Gao Xincai, Vice President of Lanzhou University

Panelists:

Paul Tae-Woo Lee, Leader of the One Belt One Road Research Lab in RMIT University, Former Deputy Secretary of Global University 8 Consortium, Australia

Ei Sun OH, Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Jiang Qingzhe, Secretary of Party Committee, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE)

Ming Guohui, Chair of the University Council of Sichuan International Studies University

Jiang Jinfa, Vice President of Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics

Ali Biniaz, First Counselor for Research, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Beijing, Iran

Lu Shanbing, Executive Deputy Director of the Silk Road Research Institute of Northwest University, Dean of Modern College of Northwest University (independent college)

Wang Min, President of Yiwu Industrial & Commercial College, P.R.China

17:00-17:30  Closing Ceremony & Launch of “Yiwu Initiative” and “Joint Statement on International Talent Cultivation Cooperation between Yiwu City and 16 Domestic and Foreign Universities” (International Conference Hall, Your World International Conference Center)

Moderator: Wang Wen, Executive Dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China (RDCY)

18:00-20:00  Buffet Dinner (Lake Shore Cafe, Your World International Conference Center)

 

November 15th, 2016 (Tuesday)

 

08:30-12:00  Yiwu Visit

The host will organize the Forum delegates to visit Yiwu Urban Planning Exhibition Center, International Trade Mart, and Yiwu Bonded Area.

12:30-14:00   Buffet Lunch (Lake Shore Cafe, Your World International Conference Center)

Afternoon:    Representatives Leaving Yiwu