The five hi-tech fairs have so far attracted 12,835 exhibitors and 5,040 investors from all over the world.

Details were released Sunday (October 12th) by a city official at the debut of the hi-tech fair's first journalist service center since Shenzhen started hosting the fair four years ago.

About 1,000 journalists from throughout China and abroad are covering the event.

"The purpose of having such a center is to improve our service to the journalists," said Xuan Zhuxi, Shenzhen's chief of foreign publicity.

Liu Mingwei, director of the transfer center of the hi-tech fair, reviewed the past four fairs at the meeting. He said each fair has highlighted a different theme and transactions have increased each year.

The first fair in 1999 highlighted venture capital, the second in the following year launched "a fair whose curtain does not fall" on the Internet, the third session expanded negotiations to cities other than Shenzhen, and the last one pushed for overseas listing of Chinese companies.

Transactions have gone up from US$6.5 billion at the first session to US$12.2 billion at the fourth session last year (2002).

Editor: Catherine