The city government will hold a major logistics fair July 17-19 to boost the city's logistics industry, a press conference was told Thursday.

The China (Shenzhen) International Logistics Fair, the first of its kind in the city, will be held at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. It will be sponsored by the municipal government and organized by the Shenzhen Federation of Logistics & Purchasing, the press conference was told.

Nearly 600 exhibitors from about 20 countries and regions are expected to attend the fair, which will exhibit logistics services, equipments and technology as well as infrastructure. About 40,000 industry professionals are expected to visit the fair.

Logistics is one of the four pillar industries in Shenzhen and has witnessed rapid growth in recent years. In 2006, the added value of the logistics industry reached 54.343 billion yuan (US$7 billion), up 7.784 billion yuan from the figure recorded in 2005. The added value of the logistics industry accounted for 9.56 percent of the city's GDP in 2006.

Editor: Yan