APEC 2007 Business Summit -- John Howard PM

The Hon John Howard MP
Prime Minister of Australia

APEC Australia 2007 Business Summit

Today I announce further arrangements including program details for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Australia 2007 Business Summit, to be held in Sydney from 6-7 September 2007. The two-day summit will be the key event bringing together business and economic leaders during APEC Leaders Week to be held from 2-9 September 2007.

Delegates to the summit include senior figures from across the Asia-Pacific region representing a broad range of industry sectors including: professional services, financial services, education, information technology, retail trade, engineering, consumer services, media, and energy. Representatives include: Mr. Murofushi, Itochu Corporation, Japan; Mr. Miller, JSC Gazprom, The Russian Federation; Ms. Yeoh, YLT Corporation Berhad, Malaysia; Mr. Ang, San Miguel Corporation, Republic of the Philippines; Mr. Donohue, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, United States and Mr. Gempachiro, Mitsui & Co, Japan.

Speakers, panellists and moderators at the summit exemplify the high level of interest in APEC economies and the region. Leaders from The People's Republic of China, Chile, Peru, the United States and Canada will be participating throughout the program, as well as senior business and government representatives, and commentators as follows.

Business Summit Panelists:

Session 1:

Ms Wang Lili, Senior Executive Vice President, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
Mr Ricardo Lagos, President, Fundación Democracia y Dessarrollo
Mr George Yong-Boon Yeo, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Singapore
Dr Han Sung-Joo, President, Korea University
Ms Margaret Jackson AC, Chairman, Qantas Airways Limited

Session 2:

Mr Pascal Lamy, Director-General, World Trade Organization
Mr Herminio Blanco Mendoza, President and Chief Executive Officer, Soluciones Estrategicas Consultoria
The Hon Warren Truss MP, Minister for Trade, Australia
Dr Pangestu, Trade Minister, Indonesia

Session 3:

Professor Ian Frazer, Clinical Immunologist, The University of Queensland's Centre for Immunology
Mr Craig Mundie, Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Microsoft Corporation
Datuk Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hassan Shahabudin, Vice Chancellor Universiti Kebangsaan, Malaysia

Session 4:

Mr Charles Goodyear, Chief Executive Officer, BHP Billiton
Mr Fu Chengyu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, China National Offshore Oil Corporation
Mr David O'Reilly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Chevron Corporation
Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Chairman, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
Mr Agus Sari, Regional Director Southeast Asia, Country Director Indonesia, PT EcoSecurities Indonesia

Session 5:

The Hon Peter Costello, MP, Treasurer, Australia
Dr Zhu Min, Executive Vice President, Bank of China
Mr Nicholas Eyzaguirre, President, National Innovation Council for Competitiveness, Chile
Mr Haruhiko Kuroda, President, Asian Development Bank

Business Summit Moderators:

Dato Paduka Timothy Ong, Chairman, The Brunei Economic Development Board
Mr Guy de Jonquières, former Financial Times World Trade Editor and Asia columnist and commentator
Professor Glyn Davis AC, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, The University of Melbourne
Mr Robin West, Chairman, PFC Energy
Mr Ian Macfarlane AC, Former Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia

Under the overarching theme ‘Strengthening our community, building a sustainable future,' this year's summit is an opportunity to build on cooperation between business and governments within the Asia-Pacific and ensure that broader Asia-Pacific perspectives are given full voice in shaping the stability and prosperity of our region into the future.

Business Summit Session themes:

Session 1 Theme: Full steam ahead? Can the Asia-Pacific meet the challenges ahead and seize the opportunities
Session 2 Theme: Does Doha matter? Do preferential trade agreements offer a genuine way forward for further liberalisation?
Session 3 Theme: Human capital and the economic future of the Asia-Pacific: Education, information and innovation
Session 4 Theme: Energy, climate change and growth in the Asia-Pacific
Session 5 Theme: Fireproofing the regional economy: Meeting the challenge of economic, fiscal and structural reform.
Closing Theme: Strengthening our community, building a sustainable future.
Further details regarding the sessions are available at www.apec2007.org/business_summit

I am confident the APEC Australia 2007 Business Summit will continue to strengthen bonds within the APEC region and deliver outcomes that will benefit business and member economies. I look forward to hosting this exciting event.

For further details please visit the APEC Australia 2007 website: www.apec2007.org/business_summit

ENDS

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