HONG KONG, July 9 /PRNewswire - Asianet/ -- The Sixth Annual World Economic Development Congress, a global forum for senior-level business and government leaders in power and energy, water and wastewater treatement, telecommunications, logistics and distribution and transportation, will be hosted in Hong Kong on September 16-18, 1997. The Congress will be the first major international business conference to be held in Hong Kong following the transition to Chinese sovereignty. The meeting is specifically targeted at global infrastructure development companies and is comprised of industry specific open summits as well as a series of "By Invitation Only" Minister Summits, with Ministers from over 25 countries covering oil and gas, power and energy, water, and communications and information technology. A key feature of the event is the "By Invitation Only" Chief Executive Officer Summit including participation by business leaders such as Yotaro Kobayashi, Fuji Xerox Company Ltd; John Naisbitt, economist and author; Ed Wallis, PowerGen; Lawrence J. Ellison, Oracle Corporation; Paul Krugman, economist; and Linus Cheung, Hong Kong Telecom. "Pivotal developments in Asia are forcing companies to reassess investment opportunities and world wide strategies. The Congress is a forum to share insights with leading CEOs and strategic visionaries from around the world," said Vidar Jorgensen, Chairman & CEO, World Congress, LIC. A special Keynote address will be given by Tung Chee Hwa, Chief Executive Officer Designate, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, on "The Future Role for Hong Kong." The Congress has four major keynote themes: The New Economic Order in Asia; Economic, Demographic, Geopolitical Issues; Creating an Environment for Growth through Partnership; Financing Asia's Growth in the 21st Century; and Business in Asia - 2000 and Beyond. Keynote speakers include Edgar W. K. Cheng, Chairman & CEO of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, Milton Friedman, Nobel Laureate, Economist and Senior Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Standford University; and Yoh Kurosawa, Chairman, Industrial Bank of Japan, Ltd. SOURCE World Economic Development Congress /CONTACT: Hong Kong: 852-2521-7088, Clina Owen or Lucy Kung, [email protected], or US: Kathy Fish, 212-869-7567, ext. 11, or fax, 212-869-7414, all for the World Economic Development Congress/