Global Summit of SME Leaders

Theme:The SMEs Challenge in the Global Economy

The Global Summit of SME Leaders, co-organized by Global Alliance of SMEs (GASME), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, was held at the Imperial Springs International Convention Center in Guangzhou on November 17th, 2013.

National leaders, senior officials of international organizations, international business leaders, experts and scholars, as well as 300 executives of SMEs gathered to address the development issues facing SMEs and explored various solutions.

The attendees of mention from overseas include: Mr. Bill Clinton, Founder of the Clinton Foundation and the 42nd President of the United States of America, Mr. John William Ashe, President of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Former Prime Minister of France，Mr. Carlos Magariños, Global Chairman of GASME and Former UNIDO Director-General, Mr. Raul Diez Canseco Terry, Senior Vice Chairman of GASME and Former Vice President of Peru, Mr. Mohamed Lamine Dhaoui, Director of the Business, Investment and Technology Services Branch-UNIDO, Mrs. Patricia Espinosa, Senior Vice Chairman of GASME and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Mr. Ronald Bew, Senior Vice Chairman of GASME and Former Associate Deputy Administrator of U.S. Small Business Administration, Mr. William Spitler, Chairman of Board of Trustees of GASME and Former Director of New York Center of U.S. Department of Commerce, Dr. George Wang, Executive Chairman of GASME, Mr. Jing-Sheng Lue, Asia Representative of German Association of Cities and so on.

From China side, Ms. Li Xiaolin，President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Mr. Zhu Xiaodan, Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr. Chen Jianhua, Mayor of Guangzhou City, Dr. Chau Chak Wing, Executive Vice President of China Federation of Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs, Mr. He Weiwen, Vice Chairman of GASME and Former Economic and Commercial Counselor at Chinese Consulate General in New York, Mr. Zheng Yonggang, Chairman of Shanghai Entrepreneurs Association, Mr. Zhou Dewen, Vice Chairman of China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, among others, also attended the event.

President Clinton spoke on various issues facing the Chinese and the world economy, highlighting the role and contributions made by SMEs in the global economic growth. He pointed out that, if looking back the history, it may take about 10 years to get the economy recovered from a financial crisis like the most recent one, as it will take time to restore the lost market confidence and rebalance the economy. President Clinton also said China’s high savings rate makes it possible for the country to investment significant amount of money in infrastructure construction and development. He anticipates that clean energy and medicine production would be key areas where SMEs will find their growth opportunities. In the United States, SMEs undertake the research and development for the majority of clean energies. China has abundant natural resources such as natural gas, so energy development is a field that SMEs have a high growth potential. After President Clinton’s speech, Dr. George Wang, Executive Chairman of GASME, moderated a Q&A session with President Clinton on some hot issues of the current world economy.

President of the United Nations General Assembly, John William Ashe, said in his speech that the SMEs in Guangdong Province have strong and vigorous growth potential, and are making great contributions to the economic development of China and the world at large. He said, “Through the collaboration of the government and the private enterprises, the world economy had found a better way out of the financial crisis”. He emphasized that in spite of the traditional mindset of minding everyone’s own business, the future development is crying for more team work of all social sectors, amongst national governments, international organizations, SMEs and the general public.

Mr. Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Former Prime Minister of France, spoke on the globalization of SMEs. He noted that the 2008 global financial crisis successfully curbed with the efforts of all nations, has prevented the world from entering an era like the Great Depression in 1930s. At present, the SMEs all around the world have to face the challenges of globalization, and win the new opportunities. He also hoped that the SMEs of China and France could deepen the cooperation in real sense and facilitate the matchmaking for 500 Chinese enterprises and 500 French enterprises.

Mr. Li XiaoLin，President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, commented that the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, which was recently held, had closed with many achievements, bringing new development opportunities for SMEs. As the SMEs continue to play a driving force in promoting world economic development and are the source of scientific and technological innovation, the “Global Summit of SME Leaders” served as an excellent exchange platform for SMEs worldwide in industrial advancement and international cooperation.

Mr. Zhu Xiaodan, Governor of Guangdong Province, said that SMEs are the most dynamic and most creative ones, and have great potential in the national economy. It is a fundamental economic policy for many countries to develop SMEs, as well as the key fields of international economic and trade cooperation. Guangdong Province, which has been at the forefront of reform and opening up, is one of the provinces with the most developed private sectors. SMEs are facing a window period for development and Guangdong government will always try to build favorable environment for SMEs. He hoped to take the opportunity of this summit to enhance the exchanges and cooperation for SMEs in Guangdong Province and other countries in the world, further strengthening the cooperation in renewable energy, energy conservation and environment protection, creative design, commodity circulation and service outsourcing, and creating new growth spots.

Mr. Carlos Magariños, Global Chairman of GASME and Former UNIDO Director-General, pointed out the importance of the alliance of global SMEs for the economic development under globalization. Many emerging economies play a crucial role in the worldwide economic recovery. He also said, since 2003, only few emerging economies have produced an annual GDP growth under 5%. The emerging economies, headed by China, including Brazil, India and Russia, will surpass the developed countries in the industrial development. As a result, countries with a new global middle class will play a key role in the world. Mr. Magariños pointed out that economists predict the world will see a tremendous growth in global middle class by 2020. In addition, while 50% of the middle class was in developed countries in 2010, 54% of the middle class will be in Asia by 2020.

At the International Business Leaders Roundtable held on November 17th, the “China’s Top 10 Internationally Influential Entrepreneurs” was published. The selected entrepreneurs include Mr. Zhang Ruimin, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Haier Group; Mr. Liang Wengen, President of Sany Group; Mr. Li Dongsheng, Chairman and President of TCL Corporation; Mr. Tang Qiao, President of Wuliangye Group; Mr. Wan Long, Chairman of Shuanghui Group; Mr. Jin Xiangzuo, President of World Packaging Center and Chairman of Global Packaging Center Group; Mr. Zheng Yonggang, Chairman of the Board and President of Shanshan Group; Mr. Jiang Xipei, Chairman of the Board of Far Eastern Group; Mr. Gao Dekang, President of Bosideng International Holdings Limited and Mr. Zhou Haijiang, Chairman of HODO Group.

Hosts

Jointly created by over 100 founding organizations, GASME is incorporated in the United States as a non-profit multinational NGO. It was granted Consultative Status with UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) on Nov. 22, 2012, and is regarded as one of the most influential global organizations for SMEs. Mr. Carlos Magariños, the former UNIDO Director General, is Global Chairman of GASME.

Website: www.globalSMEs.org

Founded in 1966, UNIDO is a specialized agency of the UN family, headquartered in Vienna, Austria with 36 Regional Offices, Country Offices and 13 Technical Offices around the world. The primary objective of the Organization is the promotion and acceleration of industrial development in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, and the promotion of international industrial cooperation for its members.

Website: www.unido.org

CPAFFC is a national people’s organization engaged in people-to-people diplomacy of the People’s Republic of China. The aims of the Association are to enhance people’s friendship, further international cooperation, safeguard world peace and promote common development. It has set up 46 China-regional or China-national friendship organizations and established relationship of friendly cooperation with nearly 500 nongovernment organizations and institutions in 157 countries.

Website: www.cpaffc.org.cn

VIPs Invited

President Bill Clinton
the 42^nd President of the United States of America

Mr. John William Ashe
President of the United Nations General Assembly

Mr. Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Former Prime Minister of France

Mr. Carlos Magariños
Former UNIDO Director-General
and Global Chairman of GASME

Mr. Raul Diez Canseco Terry
Former Vice President of Peru

Mrs. Patricia Espinosa, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico

Mr. Mohamed Lamine Dhaoui, Director of the Business, Investment and Technology Services Branch-UNIDO

Ms. Li Xiaolin，President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries

Mr. Zhu Xiaodan
Governor of Guangdong Province

Mr. Chen Jianhuan
Mayor of Guangzhou City

Dr. Chau Chak Wing, Executive Vice President of China Federation of Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs

Mr. Ronald Bew, Former Associate Deputy Administrator of U.S. Small Business Administration

Mr. William Spitler, Former Director of New York Center of U.S. Department of Commerce

Dr. George Wangn
Executive Chairman of GASME

Mr. He Weiwen, Vice Chairman of GASME and Former Economic and Commercial Counselor at Chinese Consulate General in New York

Mr. Zheng yonggang, President of Shanghai Entrepreneur Association

Mr. Jin-Sheng Lue, Asia Representative, German Association of Cities

Agenda

Speeches

President Bill Clinton, the 42^nd President of the United States of America

Mr. John William Ashe, President of the United Nations General Assembly

Mr. Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Former Prime Minister of France

Mr. Carlos Magariños, Former UNIDO Director-General, and Global Chairman of GASME

Mr. Raul Diez Canseco Terry, Former Vice President of Peru

Ms. Li Xiaolin，President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries

Mr. Zhu Xiaodan, Governor of Guangdong Province

Mr. Chen Jianhua, Mayor of Guangzhou City

Mr. Mohamed Lamine Dhaoui, Director of the Business, Investment and Technology Services Branch-UNIDO

Mrs. Patricia Espinosa, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico

Mr. Ronald Bew, Former Associate Deputy Administrator of U.S. Small Business Administration

Dr. Chau Chak Wing, Executive Vice President of China Federation of Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs

Dr. George Wang, Executive Chairman of GASME

Mr. Jin-Sheng Lue, Asia Representative, German Association of Cities

Mr. Marc Allen, President of Boeing China (TBC)

Dialogue between President Clinton and Dr. George Wang

Mr. He Weiwen, Vice Chairman of GASME and Former Economic and Commercial Counselor at Chinese Consulate General in New York

Mr. Zheng Yonggang, President of Shanshan Group

Mr. Zhou Dewen, Vice Chairman of China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises

Ms Deng Lu, moderator of the summit (from Guangdong TV)

The Summit

President Clinton met with the Chinese Entrepeneurs

China’s Top 10 Internationally Influential Businessmen

Zhang Ruimin

Zhang Ruimin is the founder Chairman and CEO of Haier Group, the largest domestic applicance brand worldwide. Zhang was selected as one of China’s Top 50 Most Powerful Business Leaders by Fortune and awarded the Carnegie Medal of Outstanding Leadership. As a world-class enterprise providing complete home appliance solutions, Haier Group has topped the global home appliance brands for the fourth consecutive years. Haier is an enterprise based on self research and development and has become the leading enterprise with the most patent applications and submissions with international standards by the end of 2012.

Liang Wengen

As the president of Sany Group, Liang Wengen was featured in Fortune China’s Top 50 Most Influential Business Leaders 2012. Sany Group is well-known as the one of the world’s Top 50 Engineering Machinery Manufacturers, the world’s largest concrete machinery manufacturer, China’s Top 500, Forbes Top Chinese Enterprises, and for being a self-owned brand with the great potential and competitiveness. Sany has established 12 overseas subsidiaries with services spread across 150 countries and products exported to over 110 countries and regions. At present, Sany Group has successfully established research, development and production bases for engineering machinery in India, the US, Germany and Brazil.

Li Dongsheng

Li Dongsheng is the Chairman and President of TCL Corporation. TCL is one of China’s leading and largest corporations in the consumer electronics industry. TCL is now a benchmark for the globalization of Chinese companies as it promotes its own brands in emerging markets and acquires established brands in advanced markets. Li is at the forefront of Chinese enterprises’ globalization effort, and he is a key figure in bringing Chinese and international corporations together. Li has been selected by both TIME as one of the most influential business people and by CCTV as “China’s Economic Annual Figure”.

Tang Qiao

Tang Qiao is the president of Wuliangye Group. Wuliangye Group is the only representative of liquor company among China’s Top 500. In the “Investigation of the Top 200 Most Respected Asian Enterprises” by Wall Street Journal, Wuliangye Group is selected as “China’s Top 10 Most Respected Enterprises”. As the first Chinese liquor brand, Wuliangye Group has started overseas business since 1990s, accounting for over 92% of the total national export volume. Wuliangye is forging ahead as the model for the globalization efforts to make Chinese liquor an international famous brand. At the 3rd (China) World Economic and Environment Conference 2010, Wuliangye was graced the honor of “China’s Top 100 in Promoting the World Low Carbon Initiative”.

Wan Long

Wan Long is the Chairman of Shuanghui Group. Shuanghui Group is a large food corporation focused on meat packing and is also the largest meat packing base in China. It is 128th place in China’s Top 500 Enterprises list. In May 2013, Shuanghui International, with 7.1 billion USD, launched its bid effort to purchase the total share of Smithfield Foods, Inc— the world's largest pork processor and producer. This will make Shuanghui the world’s largest meat packing corporation and represents a milestone in its effort of going global. Shuanghui represents the biggest Chinese investment in the United States to date.

Jin Xiangzuo

President of World Packaging Center and Chairman of Global Packaging Center Group, Jin Xiangzuo was the First Chinese entrepreneur who realized the ambition to build a world packaging industrial center in China. Using international resources and network, Jin is leading the way to enhance China’s economic upgrade. State leaders, such as Xi Jinping, Wu Bangguo, Zhu Rongji, and Wen Jiabao, have paid great attention to the ground-breaking construction of the Global Packaging Industry Center, to which President Xi Jinping once gave important instructions during his term of office in Zhejiang Province. Jin’s goal is to build the Global Packaging Center Group into the flagship of the global packaging industry, thus making China a power in the global packaging market.

Zheng Yonggang

Zheng Yonggang is the Chairman of the board and president of Shanshan Group, a large enterprises group based on assets management. With over 100 cross-regional and cross-industrial companies of independent legal entity, Shanshan Group is leading China’s clothing industry in creating the most international brands and achieving the most profound globalization through cooperation with first-class companies from Japan, Italy, France and US, thus featuring as China’s Top 500 enterprise. In addition, Shanshan Group is among the world top three in the fields of cathode and anode materials of lithium battery and electrolyte. With the ambition to build China’s Silicon Valley, Shanshan has established Shanshan Science＆Technology Innovation Park, Bohai Eco Tech Valley and Wuhu Tech Park.

Jiang Xipei

Jiang Xipei is the chairman of the board of the Far Eastern Group, a large private group in cable, medicine, real estate, Agrochemical and investment. As the China’s Top 500, the Far Eastern Group is the largest listed company in cable industry with the biggest production and sales, the most employees and the highest brand and market value. With an ambitious overseas expansion goal, the Far Eastern Group is striving to double its international market shares by 2020. To speed up its globalization pace, as much as 15% executives of the group are elites with international perspective. The group has offices in the US, Canada, Hong Kong and other regions.

Gao Dekang

Gao Dekang is the president of Bosideng International Holdings Limited, the largest down apparel company and leading is the technology in Asia. Bosideng cooperates with Dupont, Itochu and other companies in its global market expansion, setting up partnership with internationally famous brand like Nike, Boss, Tommy, Gap, Elle and The North Face. In 2011, ISO/TC133 Sizing System and Designations for Clothes opened its secretariat in Bosideng, marked as a historical breakthrough in international standardization of Chinese clothing.

Zhou Haijiang

Zhou Haijiang is the chairman of HODO Group, a leading enterprise in the apparel and textile industry in China. HODO attributes its sustained rapid development to the implementation of its internationalization strategy. HODO started establishing its overseas branches in Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo in 2002. In 2007, HODO Group also developed the 11-square-kilometer Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone in Cambodia. The Cambodian Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone is a paradigm for outbound economic and trade cooperation and is also among one of the first group of six areas approved by the Chinese government for outbound economic and trade cooperation. HODO Group now serves as a role model for the internationalization of Chinese companies.

Banquet

Visiting Congdu

Visiting a Chinese company

Co-organizer/ Supporting Organizations

Press Coverage

1、http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjM2MzU5NzM2.html
2、http://v.ifeng.com/news/finance/201311/0139defa-74f0-4930-aac6-c43750afb00d.shtml
3、http://www.wasu.cn/Play/show/id/1829506
4、http://video.sina.com.cn/p/news/v/2013-11-17/195163155777.html
5、http://www.unido.org/news/press/unido-china-1.html
6、http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/www.gd.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2013-11/18/c_118180480.htm
7、http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjM2MzU5NzM2.html
8、http://gd.people.com.cn/n/2013/1118/c162706-19939219.html
9、http://news.163.com/13/1118/13/9DVDUVE400014JB5.html
10、http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2013/11-18/5512352.shtml
11、http://news.china.com.cn/live/2013-11/18/content_23450018.htm
12、http://news.sina.com.cn/w/2013-11-19/072028747697.shtml
13、http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2013-11-18/150028741577.shtml
14、http://v.qq.com/boke/page/j/q/j/j0121ey9tqj.html
15、http://finance.ifeng.com/a/20131118/11101896_0.shtml
16、http://news.21cn.com/caiji/roll1/a/2013/1118/11/25064254.shtml
17、http://gb.cri.cn/42071/2013/11/18/6071s4325932.htm
18、http://gzdaily.dayoo.com/html/2013-11/18/content_2455174.htm
19、http://wen.oeeee.com/a/20131118/1081830.html
20、http://he.ce.cn/gd/201311/18/t20131118_1201558.shtml
21、http://news.xinmin.cn/world/2013/11/18/22677598.html
22、http://news.hexun.com/2013-11-18/159773763.html
23、http://www.gd.chinanews.com/2013/2013-11-18/2/284337.shtml
24、http://ndfinance.oeeee.com/html/201311/18/502724.html
25、http://www.cpaffc.org.cn/content/details21-23586.html
26、http://news.cnwest.com/content/2013-11/18/content_10342466.htm
27、http://news.jschina.com.cn/system/2013/11/18/019315989.shtml