The opening ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Service Industries Conference hosted by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) was held in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, yesterday (February 14). The conference is organized by the Guangzhou government and the APEC Business Advisory Council, with Guangzhou Mayor, ABAC representatives and officials from 21 Asia-Pacific businesses attending.
The conference released the "Guangzhou Declaration," which aims to boost the cooperative's efforts in the Asia-Pacific region's service sector. By 2015, the modern service and finance industries of Guangzhou are prospected to account for 65 percent and 9 percent of the GDP respectively.
The conference also provided a platform for the Chinese and foreign economists to foresee China's 2011 economy. Famous economist Zhang Yansheng, head of the Institute of Foreign Economics under the NDRC, said China's developing rate of GDP will be kept at around 8 percent during the years of 2011 through 2015. And economist Chen Chaohui predicted that the appreciation of the RMB will reach 5 percent this year.
British economist John Howkins at the conference (Guangzhou Daily)
Yansheng, head of the Institute of Foreign Economics under the NDRC (Guangzhou Daily)
Chinese economist Chen Chaohui
