Entrepreneurs to play more pronounced role in 2019: summit organizer

Chinese entrepreneurs are expected to play a more significant role in driving the Chinese economy's development against the backdrop of slowing world economic growth and anti-globalization sentiment, said a top executive Wednesday.

"Faced with the economic bottlenecks, Chinese businesses should leverage new technological power to seek new growth engines," said Cheng Hong, secretary-general of The China Entrepreneur Club.

She made the comments at a news conference on the 2019 China Green Companies Summit, an annual economic business forum focused on sustainable business development.

According to Cheng, more than 1,000 guests, including business leaders and industry insiders, are expected to join this year's event, which will be held in Dunhuang, Gansu province in about three weeks.

Well-known business tycoons such as Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, Ma Weihua, former president and CEO of China Merchants Bank, Liu Yonghao, chairman of Chinese conglomerate New Hope Group, and Ning Gaoning, chairman of Sinochem Group, are set to join the event.

Ma Weihua, director-general of the CEC, said that this is the first time the summit will be held in the southwestern Gansu province, a province boasting abundant natural resources but suffering from environmental pollution.

"The summit provides a good opportunity to communicate with renowned entrepreneurs. This will have a far-reaching influence on our province," said Wu Zhentu, deputy head of commerce of Gansu province.

"We are hoping that it will help promote the transformation and upgrading of local industries in Gansu," he said.