The 33rd China Daily CEO Roundtable was held in Dalian, the host city of Summer Davos, the "Inaugural Annual Meeting of the New Champions".

"One difference between our roundtable and the 70-plus forums and panels at Summer Davos is that our delegates had to wake up at 5:30 am, if not earlier, to arrive at the venue on time for this 'power breakfast'," said Zhu Ling, editor-in-chief of China Daily.

Roundtable delegates included top-notch leaders in the Chinese and global business communities such as BT, TNT, Deloitte, China Mobile, Lenovo, Bayer, Standard Chartered, Adidas and Shui On.

"I was honored to be invited as a co-chair to share my experience with this distinguished group of people that wouldn't have gathered had the China Daily CEO Roundtable not been organized," said Vincent Lo, chairman of China's Shui On Group and the mastermind behind the Xintiandi project in Shanghai.

Positioned as the nation's network for movers and shakers in business, the CEO roundtable provides a platform for strategic dialogue between the executives of Fortune 500 companies and big China firms. Thirty-three roundtables have been held in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Ningbo and Dalian, and over a thousand delegates and senior government officials have participated. It is unique among all other business networks or executive forums organized by international media or NGOs because it is strictly by invitation only, based on delegates' standing in their sectors and reputation. "I have not seen anything like this from any other forum. It is very effective for collective sharing and learning from fellow delegates," said William Valentino, Bayer (China) vice-president for corporate social responsibility.

The roundtable will continue to focus on topics related to China's economy, business and social development. More sessions are expected to be held in first- and second-tier cities.

By Alexander Wan