Leaders in Dubai Business Forum 2007 will focus on the exploding Chinese market and how to successfully tap into it.

President, CEO and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, one of the world's leading business magazines, Steve Forbes will be the star speaker and provide an insight into China during the forum.

His topics at the forum will include the rise of China and its future role in the world economy; doing business in China - upsides and downsides; whether China's long term growth prospects are sustainable; and how Arab states can successfully compete with China, said an official spokesman.

'There's no need for GCC countries to fear China,' Steve Forbes told IIR Middle East. 'There is huge potential for bilateral trade between them and it's just a case of making sure that both sides fully understand what the terms of trade mean.'

He will comment on the lack of intellectual property rights in China and why this is a burden on achieving prosperity. Delegates will also be keen to hear his views on the key elements for success when entering the Chinese market.

A widely respected economic commentator, Forbes is the only writer to have won four highly prestigious Crystal Owl awards for proving to be the most accurate economic forecaster for the coming year. He was a US presidential candidate in 1996 and 2000 and serves on numerous academic and philanthropic boards.

Other confirmed speakers for this year's Leaders in Dubai Business Forum 2007, which will be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre from November 18 to 20, include former UN secretary general Kofi Annan; entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson; business strategy gurus Robert S Kaplan and Philip Kotler; plus Google's Nikesh Arora.

The line-up is expected to attract a record-breaking number of delegates and the organisers are encouraging interested people to register early at www.leadersindubai.com to ensure they don't miss out.Trade Arabia News Service