Forum schedule for June 8

8:30 - 9:20

Global perspective - meet the future - China's entrepreneurs

Five of China's most innovative emerging companies give pitches to a panel of notable venture capitalists who will evaluate each contestant. The winner will be the company that gets the most audience votes for best idea and most attractive investment.

Viewpoint: What's next for rural China?

Two hundred million Chinese are constantly on the move seeking work and new lives in China's urban centers. This massive migration has created opportunities for migrants but it is also causing enormous strain on urban centers, infrastructure and social fabric.

Viewpoint: Corporate risk and climate change

Globally, governments have failed to reach an agreement on climate change. Traditional activist groups are putting pressure as never before on corporations to change their business practices. Public awareness of environmental harm is increasing, and consumers are using their buying power to boycott unsustainable goods and services.

Viewpoint: The food dilemma

As Chinese people become more affluent, demands for agriculturally intensive foods like meat and poultry have surged in recent decades. With only 7 percent of China's land arable, this demand puts an enormous strain on a food system that needs to feed 1.3 billion people daily. Meanwhile, increasing urbanization is resulting in dietary changes that rely on convenience foods, raising nutrition and health concerns. Concurrently, frequent episodes of contamination have made food safety a leading concern in the country.

Viewpoint: Rewriting the global rule book

Today's CEOs are finding it increasingly difficult to navigate the patchwork regulations that shape global trade and commerce.

Viewpoint: Opening hearts and wallets

The past 30 years saw the remarkable rise of China's wealthy class and a massive accumulation of personal fortunes. The widening wealth gap, enormous social needs and recent natural disasters seemed to rekindle an interest in charity nationwide. However, charities and the philanthropic sector in China are still in the nascent stage.

9:30 - 10:15

Growth and conflict in the Asia-Pacific

Greater economic interdependence has produced unprecedented dynamism that creates common interests and made Asia a central driver of global growth. But security issues, including territorial disputes and a changing balance of power, are raising tensions and jeopardizing the positive economic story.

10:15 - 10:30

Spotlight: Understanding China's young generation

Today's Chinese youth have very different attitudes from their parents. They have grown up with social media, and expect a more open society and a freer flow of information. They also desire many of the products and services common in the rich nations.

10:30 - 11:15

The rise of the west

The western provinces are now the fastest-growing region in China. Cities such as Chengdu, with a population of 14 million, have become centers for high-tech, automotive, finance, and other industries. More than 200 Fortune Global 500 companies now operate in Chengdu, which has built a world-class infrastructure for trade.

11:40 - 12:30

The mobile economy

Mobile devices are displacing everything from PCs to credit card readers, a massive consumer-driven shift that is prompting hundreds of billions of dollars of investments in infrastructure, software, handsets and other technologies. As mobile computing becomes the world's primary platform for communication, media and transactions, Fortune Global 500 companies will need to rethink and reinvent their business models.

12:30 - 12:45

Spotlight: Defining global excellence

13:15 - 14:30

Multinational companies in China: The local view

Fortune will gather China-based regional presidents of multinational companies to share views and exchange ideas on the current realities, opportunities, and challenges of doing business in China today. This on-the-record session will inform Fortune's editorial coverage of China.

(China Daily USA 06/05/2013 page15)