Message From Chairman

As the Founder and Chairman of the International Strategy Institute (ISI), being the official Secretariat of the annual World Chinese Economic Forum (WCEF), I am pleased to inform you that WCEF 2019 will take place this year in the city of Hangzhou, China on 11-12 December 2019, with the theme “Realising the Vision of Shared Development for a Better World".

Since its inception in 2009, the World Chinese Economic Forum (WCEF) has gone from strength to strength. It started off as a modest platform discussing the potential of China as a global economic powerhouse, the main issues faced by the Chinese diaspora and repercussions from global geopolitics. Throughout the years, WCEF has cemented its place as a champion of ASEAN-China relations and a hub for the Chinese diaspora network. After 10 years of building a collaborative platform for China and the Chinese diaspora, a new chapter for WCEF is about to unfold.

This year 2019 marks the first year that WCEF will take a bold move to discuss the prospect of Pax Sinica in a changing world. As the world turns to protectionism and threatening the global economy into recession, China offers a new concept of shared prosperity and development never heard before in the lexicon of global economics. Through vehicles such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), our connectivity and common destiny as one humanity is sealed.

For decades, the global system that we have created, has been made to divide us. It ensures that one shall prosper only at the expense of the other, and that one global power cannot survive without decimating another. That system is not sustainable. The world needs to urgently find a solution, an alternative system that can ensure our survival as one humanity.

The rapid growth of disruptive technologies today brings us closer as ever before. It is breaking down every barrier that we have created to divide nations, cultures and people. We should begin to harness these technologies to bind us together, and not to create conflict and barriers.

WCEF 2019 takes a stand to explore this new world order, to take a chance to understand China and its vision for a better world, despite the negative perceptions propagated by the global mainstream media today. This 2-day Forum is filled with thought-provoking sessions starting with Day 1 (Pax Sinica and Future Forward) and Day 2 (Global and Regional Strategies).

Day 1 comprises sessions that discuss about the future world namely disruptive technologies, startups and new industries, whether we will witness Pax Sinica in 2030 and how would that world look like. Day 2 comprises sessions that deals with global and regional instruments and strategies that dictate what is happening at present and the world which is about to unfold. The main topics such as BRI, the opportunities and implications of 5G, future of global trade, the future role of ASEAN-China will mainly define Day 2.

But WCEF 2019 is no ordinary Forum. It is not just a platform for ideas. But more importantly it is the hub for intense and curated business networking through our matchmaking suite and chat pods called Designated Networking Area (DNA), the Collaboratorium, a collaborative space linking ideas and opportunities, and our Startup Pitch Pads, where new startup ventures get to showcase their business in front of a group of investors.

All this and more at the WCEF 2019 in Hangzhou, China on 11-12 December. It will be a chance of a lifetime you should not miss. We hope to see you there.

Cheah Chyuan Yong
Founder and Chairman
International Strategy Institute (ISI)