The Sixth China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF) opens Tuesday at the new Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center.

Vice Premier Wu Yi will attend the grand opening ceremony Tuesday morning.

A press conference Monday afternoon was attended by several ministerial officials. Shenzhen Mayor Li Hongzhong delivered a speech detailing features and highlights of the CHTF to journalists from home and abroad.

Li said the CHTF had developed into a State-level and grand international event with unprecedented size, becoming an important window on China¡¯s high-tech field.

This year¡¯s fair was approved by the State Council and jointly hosted by 10 government departments and institutions including China¡¯s Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Information Industry, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Personnel, State Intellectual Property Office, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Shenzhen Municipal Government.

in the number of delegations, total exhibition area, Other highs will include biggest number of university and multinationl exhibitors and the biggest number of professional exhibitions.

Lou Qinjian, vice minister of Information Industry, said a mobile phone exhibition organized by the Ministry of Information Industry would display the latest communication products and technology of 32 well-known mobile phone manufacturers such as Motorola, Nokia and Samsung. It occupies an area of more than 5,000 square meters.

According to other officials who attended the press conference, the Ministry of Education has organized 32 science and technology parks sponsored by universities, with about 300 high-tech projects.

Statistics show that the fair has attracted more than 3,500 enterprises and institutions. Some 44 multinationals will show the latest technology and products at the fair. The multinationals include Intel, Oracle, HP, Sanyo, Hitachi, Sony, Foxconn, DuPont, Perkinelmer, Fast and ESS.

IT exhibitions will be categorized as computers, communications, Internet, software and digital technology and products.

A series of forums will be featured including those for ministers, university principals, global CEOs, SME boards and capital markets and an Intel information technology summit. Principals from eminent foreign universities include those from the United States, Canada and Hungary with Chinese principals from Qinghua, Beida and Hong Kong universities among others.

The global CEOs¡¯ forum will involve about 100 entrepreneurs including those from the United States, Canada and Italy.

Sources from the booking office said more than 450,000 visitors were expected, the biggest number in the fair¡¯s history.

The first CHTF was held in October 1999. It concluded 1,030 transactions with a transaction volume of US$6.494 billion.

The CHTF is expected to play a vital role in high-tech exchange between China and the international community.

Editor: Olivia