China Daily Workshop at Asian Financial Forum on 20 Jan, 2015(ENG)

Regional Leading Experts DiscussNew Silk Road and Asian Economic Development

Jan 20 2015, Hong Kong - More than 300 delegates representing some of the largest financial institutions from around the world participated in a special panel session organized by China Daily at the Asian Financial Forum held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on January 20, 2015.
Speakers at the panel on “China, ASEAN and the New Silk Road - Global Financial Perspectives,” included leaders in government, finance and academia.
To facilitate further development and cooperation of the various Asian economies, which have already become an engine of global growth, China has initiated several groundbreaking initiatives that include “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, “One Belt One Road”, and “Silk Road Fund” since 2013.Meanwhile, ASEAN economies are focusing on building closer financial and trade ties for common development.These initiatives will not only result incloser economic ties between China and the ASEAN, but also create regionalprosperity that can have a profound impact on the global economic landscape.
Mr. ZHOU Li, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief of China Daily Asia Pacific said in the welcoming speech that with China having taken the lead in pushing a string of initiatives, Asia today is on the threshold of a momentous era in economic development and advancement.
“The New Silk Road illustrates the development of Asia. This new dynamic has the ability to create tremendous amount of change in finance and business, in which Hong Kong is well positioned to tap the opportunities," stressed Mr.Raymond YIP, Deputy Executive Director of Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the organizer of AFF, one of the most important annual events on global financial calendar.

The panelistsincluded Mr. XU Ningning, Executive President of China-ASEAN Business Council; Dr. LI Yao, Chief ExecutiveOfficer of China-ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund (CAF); Dr. Perry WARJIYO, Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia; Tan Sri Dr. Michael YEOH, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI); Mr. Vivek PATHAK, Regional Director Asia and the Pacific of International Finance Corporation;Prof. HUANG Yiping,Professor of Economics and Deputy Dean of National School of Development, Peking University and Prof. Edward CHEN, Distinguished Institute Fellow and Honorary Professor of The University of Hong Kong, and President of Qianhai Institute for Innovative Research.

Hong Kong has its special advantages in the development of the New Silk Road, including its strategic geographic location and its natural connection with ASEAN countries as well as the Chinese mainland, affirmed Xu. He expected that the New Silk Road will help to promotethe establishment of ASEAN Economic Community by the end of this year.

"We estimate ASEAN will become the world's fourth largest economy by 2050. But demand for infrastructure investment is huge", said Warjiyo.“Linking China and ASEAN markets together, the New Silk Road promotes circulation of capital flow, technology and goods in the region, which facilitates sustainable growth in the long term”, said Li.Pathak maintained that ASEAN is the most logical market for Chinese manufacturers, given its size and growth. “And the financial service sector will follow,” he added.The setting up of various offshore yuan clearing centers in ASEAN will deepen its connectivity with China and make the economy stronger, said Yeoh.Huang and Chen also shared their view on the topic from China perspective, based on China economic transformation and experiment such as Qianhai Free Trade Zone.

This China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable panel marks the cooperation with Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) onAsian Financial Forum (AFF) for the fourth consecutive year, providing a platform for exchanging market intelligence and exploring new business opportunities across Asia.

Panelists from China and ASEAN were sharing their views on the topic. From left to right: Mr. XU Ningning, Executive President of China-ASEAN Business Council; Dr. LI Yao, Chief Executive Officer of China-ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund (CAF); Prof. HUANG Yiping, Professor of Economics and Deputy Dean of National School of Development, Peking University; Mr. Alexander WAN, Senior Advisor of China Daily Asia Pacific (moderator); Dr. Perry WARJIYO, Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia; Tan Sri Dr. Michael YEOH, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI); Mr. Vivek PATHAK, Regional Director Asia and the Pacific of International Finance Corporation; and Prof. Edward CHEN, Distinguished Institute Fellow and Honorary Professor of The University of Hong Kong, and President of Qianhai Institute for Innovative Research.


About China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable

The China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable is a by-invitation network of movers and shakers in Asia providing platforms for focused dialogue, issue investigation, and possible collective action on strategic issues relating to economic, business and social development in Asia. Our aim is to enhance communication and increase mutual understanding between China, Asian and Western countries. Roundtable events are held in major cities across Asia.
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