HANGHAI could be the world's most "valuable" place in September.

　　That is because the city will then be the rendezvous for a large number of wealthy tycoon-type figures from the global business community.

　　They are to gather here to attend the Forbes Global CEO Conference, a high-profile business forum initiated by the US publishing and media company Forbes.

　　Their eye-catching local presence will hopefully reflect the recovered international confidence - especially of business circles - regarding China, which has just experienced adverse effects from the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) crisis.

　　That confidence, plus likely new domestic business opportunities turned up at the event, is perhaps the most urgently sought benefit for China at present.

　　Some observers, however, are casting more attention on an interesting discussion topic at the conference: How to maintain China's economy on a regular and healthy track, given the rapidly-rising class of domestic private entrepreneurs and their businesses' growing interactions with the State-owned enterprises (SOEs)?

　　Money talk

　　Perhaps the attendance fee can, to some extent, indicate the level of the event.

　　Participants are expected to pay US,000 each for admittance, if they miss the July 16 discount deadline. Otherwise they need pay "only" US,995 for an attendance permit.

　　The number of attendees will be set around 300, according to organizers.

　　Scheduled to run from September 16 through 18, the conference will focus on the theme: "Energizing Global Business: The China Factor."

　　On the list of speakers at the event are high-level government officials like Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng and Laura Cha, vice-chairwoman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, as well as eminent economists and scholars like Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz from Columbia University.

　　Alongside their counterparts in multinationals like UPS, BMW, Samsung, Acer, Dow Corning, HSBC, top executives of domestic business giants, including the Haier Group's Zhang Ruimin, the Shimao Group's Hui Wing Mau and the Sun Media Group's Yang Lan, will also address the conference.

　　Together with other famed figures in domestic and overseas business circles, they are expected to touch upon varied hot topics concerning the global and Chinese economy, ranging from banks and capital markets in China to future global technology trends.

　　"The purpose of the event is not just to exchange information," said Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes Inc.

　　"The brainstorming is to be an incubator of ideas for new business opportunities and new jobs for Shanghai, China and the world.

　　"The conference will meanwhile be an opportunity for China to show the world it is determined to grow in the years ahead," he said.

　　Movers and shakers

　　The forthcoming event is regarded as one that comes naturally for Forbes as its Forbes magazine is gaining growing popularity in China.

　　A highlight of Forbes' local presence is its list of the top 100 richest Chinese, appearing annually since 1999, which features a growing number of domestic private entrepreneurs.

　　For the September event, a number of well-known Chinese entrepreneurs in the private sector will also be present, including Chen Rong of the Shanghai Zhonglusgroupsand Liu Yonghao of the New Hope Group, whose names appeared frequently on the Forbes 100 Richest Chinese list in recent years.

　　"We like doers, that's why we focus on people who create companies and jobs and make things happen," said Forbes.

　　The participants for the upcoming gathering are not just representatives of big companies, but individuals who will create the big firms of tomorrow as well, he said.

　　At an earlier briefing on the conference, Vice-Mayor Zhou Yupeng revealed that Shanghai will organize a team of 30 top figures from local SOEs as well as private businesses to attend the event.

　　The plan signals Shanghai's resolution to firmly support the local private sector's future development, Zhou said.

　　Such an arrangement might make some people think of recent financial scandals involving local private entrepreneurs, such as Zhou Zhengyi, who ranked 11th on last year's Forbes 100 Richest Chinese list. Authorities are investigating into Zhou's problematic operations, mainly in the property market.

　　"Being on that list doesn't mean you have special immunities to tax laws or any other laws; it just means your successful at that particular moment," said Forbes.

　　"In business, what's true today can change dramatically tomorrow," he said.

　　Forbes even cited an example of a bakery to illustrate his point.

　　"You can bake nice bread for a week and that will help you a lot, but when you open your bakery tomorrow, you have to have good fresh products," he said.

　　Common characteristics of successful entrepreneurs can be summarized as the combination of vision and a willingness to work extremely hard with laser-like focus as well as the ability to accept criticism and failure, according to Forbes.

　　Given that conclusion, the conference in September looks like a precious opportunity for Chinese private entrepreneurs to learn something from their foreign counterparts about how to maintain a regular and successful business, analysts said.