China first stop for billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum – and he’s got some big players on board
Beijing will host the first sessions of the New Economy Forum, November 6-8
Media mogul Michael Bloomberg is launching a new global conference, betting that his inclusion of some of the world’s most influential policymakers and CEOs will prove to be a better forum to address issues of global concern than Davos, G20 or other high-profile talk shops.
Hosted by Bloomberg in partnership with the government-backed China Centre for International Economic Exchanges and co-chaired by the former US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, the New Economy Forum boasts an advisory board that includes the philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, the former Chinese central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan and Bain & Company chairwoman Orit Gadiesh.
The forum’s inaugural session will be held November 6-8 in Beijing, a venue choice Bloomberg Media Group CEO Justin Smith called “critical”.
“As much as you try to establish a global, truly diverse audience for any event, where you hold it is hugely symbolic,” Smith said in an interview.
“In 2018, if you want to have a serious conversation or learn more about the future of the global economy, Beijing would be at the top of that list.”
Bloomberg, Paulson, elder statesman Henry Kissinger (who is an honorary chairman of the forum) and other high-profile participants have been critical of US President Donald Trump’s hard-line policies toward China, underscoring how much of a counterpoint the event will be to Trump’s approach to Beijing.
