Professor Michael Enright of the Hong Kong Institute of Economics and Business Strategy is gearing up for the TCI conference that's expected to be the best ever

Delegates at the 8th annual Conference of the Competitiveness Institute (TCI) will include several of the world's leading experts on clustering and regional development.  The conference, entitled "Enter the Dragon: China's emergence and International Competitiveness", will be held from November 8 -11 at the Kowloon Shangri-La hotel.

"The entire world is focused on China's rise, and Hong Kong is a great place to learn more about the force that is changing the global economy," said Dr Alan Hansen, TCI president and president of the Economic Competitiveness Group in the US.

Professor Michael Enright, director of competitiveness programmes at the Hong Kong Institute of Economics and Business Strategy - this year's conference organiser - believes that China has become a market, an investment location, a production platform and a competitor.

Inside perspective

"The conference is a great way for people from outside China to better understand its competitiveness, and for people from Hong Kong and China to learn from the experiences of the world leading competitiveness proponents," he said.

Speakers from 25 countries, including senior officials from China and abroad, will shed light on issues of competitiveness.

Lars Eklund, director of competitiveness for the Swedish Innovation Agency VINNOVA and a TCI vice-president, said the conference is generating a great deal of interest in Europe. "We expect it to be the best ever."

TCI is a global association of policy makers, advisors and business people dedicated to improving local and national development. It has nearly 400 members in more than 40 countries.

For more information, Enter the Dragon: China's Emergence and International Competitiveness  www.tciconference8.org