WATERLOO, Canada, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Over 200 leading experts from around the world will convene in Waterloo, Ontario, on October 25-26 to discuss the political and economic impacts of China's rise on the world stage.

    "CIGI'08: China in the Shifting World Order," hosted by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), will explore the ramifications of China's emergence as a world power and how international governance structures and different regions of the world are adjusting to this new force.

    "In this year of extraordinary events China has moved towards the centre of the stage," said Jim Balsillie, chair of CIGI's board, in a statement issued prior to the forum.

    "From the remarkable Beijing Olympics through the financial crises of the fall, an understanding of contemporary China has become essential for governments, businesses and informed citizens everywhere," he said.

    Cheng Siwei, former vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress and leader of the Chinese delegation to Davos in 2006, 2007 and 2008, will deliver a keynote address on Oct. 25.

    Distinguished participants include Lan Lijun, ambassador of th ePeople's Republic of China to Canada; Harry Broadman, managing director, Albright Group and former economic adviser for the Africa Region at the World Bank; Joe Clark, former prime minister of Canada, and Barbara McDougall, chair of the board of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa.

    In conjunction with the conference, CIGI will issue several new publications illustrating its growing research related to China. Topics include China's new economic diplomacy, the political and economic impacts of China's ascendancy in Africa, higher education transformation, China's role as a bridge for expanding regional and world trade, and poverty studies by young Chinese scholars.

    Additionally, CIGI will launch a new book examining the position of China and other leading emerging powers in the potential transformation of the G8 and other aspects of global governance.

    This will be the fourth annual conference of CIGI, an independent, nonpartisan think tank that addresses international governance challenges. Co-sponsored by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), CIGI'08 is organized in partnership with the University of Waterloo.