World CBD festival lights up Beijing

The spotlight will be focused on Beijing again this autumn, for the 2011 Beijing CBD International Business Festival, from Sept 15 to 19 at the China World Trade Center's Tower III.A companion event of equal importance will be the Annual Meeting of World CBD Alliance. Participants at these two events will include the representatives of international organizations, foreign ambassadors to China, CEOs of multinationals, and urban planning and management experts. The two events have 11 sponsors, which include the World CBD Alliance, Beijing CBD Alliance, and Chaoyang district government. The CBD festival has been held for 11 consecutive years, since 2000 and has become a major site of exchanges between cities, business districts, governments, and industries.It is also a showcase of the capital's development and one of the capital's most influential business activities. Especially against the backdrop of China's rise among the global economic system, the event is expected to play a greater role in connecting China with other economies and promoting CBD's development. This year's theme is "Scientific development, elements congregation, low-carbon demonstration and innovation". In addition to the exhibitions and business activities, there will be a culture industry summit, a roundtable for commercial counselors of various embassies, and an international culture and design fair. The two events will offer a chance to display the successes of the CBD area, in Beijing's Chaoyang district, under the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) and to explain the goals of the 12th Five-Year Plan. The World CBD Alliance will meet the afternoon of Sept 15, at the Chaoyang Planning Museum and will be followed by the opening of Beijing CBD Business Festival. Participants can discuss the CBD's role in global and national economic recovery, the development of other cities, the future of CBD and growth patterns, financial innovations during the 12th Five-Year Plan, and e-commerce and the future of CBD. In this regard, there will be an e-commerce seminar - a festival first - with the participation of business leaders from the Internet sector, with proposals for n action plan. The Business Festival comes with a foundation-stone-laying ceremony for a new skyscraper, the "Zhongguo Zun", or China Goblet. It will be more than 500 meters high and will be one of Beijing's tallest buildings and an obvious landmark, one that people can admire as an example of Beijing's architecture and economic development.