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Briefing: HIgh-tech Expo

Beijing's prime annual showcase for promoting its high-tech products and latest developments will be staged for the 7th time, from May 21 to 26, in the Chinese capital. The China Beijing International High-tech Expo (CHITEC), known as the Beijing International High-tech Industries Week when first launched in 1998, has seen a steady increase in exhibitors and visitors each year, and has become well regarded both at home and abroad.

As the 6th Expo last year was put off until September due to the SARS outbreak, the interval between them is relatively short, causing some preparation difficulty for both the organizers and participants. Even so, according to the organizing committee, some 30 top executives from Fortune 500 companies   the largest number ever  have confirmed their participation; over 2,100 domestic and foreign high-tech enterprises, research organizations and universities have decided to take part in the exhibitions; and 31 Chinese provinces, municipalities as well as the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions will send large-scale governmental and business delegations to the Expo.

In an exhibition area totalling 60,000 square meters, products and technologies will be displayed by sector: computer, network technology & IT; electronics & telecommunication technology; bio-tech engineering & pharmaceutical technology, environmental protection, new energy & new material; electrical supply & facility; intelligent transport system; high-tech Olympic technology, etc.

World-renowned high-tech enterprises, such as Ericsson, Panasonic, LG Electronics, Fuji Xerox, Nortel Networks, Haier, Hisense, Lenovo, Stone, etc. have booked large exhibition spaces in advance. Samsung Electronics, for example, in their first Expo showing, has reserved a super large exhibition area of 528 square meters to display its most up-to-date high-tech products.

During the Expo 25 high-level forums and conferences will be held focusing on new and high-tech industries  development and other high-profile economic and social topics; and some 500 eminent business and financial figures and policy makers from dozens of countries and regions the world over will deliver speeches. Among the speechmakers are Robert A. Mundell, Nobel Laureate for economics, and Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum.

In addition, during the Expo, nearly 1,000 domestic and foreign enterprises will hold bilateral and multilateral talks over several thousand projects, discussing their possible cooperation in capital or technology, construction of urban infrastructure and Olympic venues and government procurement, etc.

The following are some activities that you probably dont want to miss in this gala of forums, conferences, exhibitions and trade talks.

China Economic Summit Forum

The China Economic Summit Forum, slated for May 21-22 in the Great Hall of the People, will host a Who s Who of world and Chinese financial and economic figures, including: Zhou Xiaochuan, China;s central bank governor; Shang Fulin, chairman of China Securities Regulatory Commission; Li Deshui, head of the National Bureau of Statistics; Nobel winner Robert A. Mundell; World Economic Forum Chairman Klaus Schwab; Hu Zuliu, managing director of Goldman Sachs (Asia); Lin Yifu, director of the China Economic Research Centre at Peking University, and many others. Their speeches will focus on Chinas macro economy and policy prospects, and sustainable development of the Chinese economy.   

Bourses Brief Business

The six-day Expo will again host seven overseas stock exchange giants   the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, London Stock Exchange, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Singapore Stock Exchange, Toronto Stock Exchange and Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

While the Singapore Stock Exchange will continue to hold market promotional activities this year, as it did during the 6th high-tech Expo, Toronto, London, and Hong Kong stock companies will this year follow the Singaporean practice, and brief Chinese enterprises on the rules and procedures of financing and listing in overseas stock markets.

Such briefings and professional consultations are of particular significance at a time when many Chinese enterprises are seeking to go public in overseas stock markets.

Exchange official present at the Expo will include: Joseph Fung, managing director of international listing of New York Stock Exchange; Huang Huaguo, China region chief representative and international director of Nasdaq; Martin Graham, director of market services for the London Stock Exchange and head of AIM; Jane Zhu, head of Asia Pacific business development of London Stock Exchange; Eisuke Nagatomo, managing director & executive officer of Tokyo Stock Exchange; and Hsieh Fu Hua, CEO of Singapore exchange Ltd.

Electric Vehicles Exhibition

Achievements in the research and development of electric vehicles will be highlighted at the Expo. While an indoor exhibition will depict the progress in words and technical diagrams, 8 real vehicles will be displayed outdoors to give viewers a vivid idea of the accomplishments in the sectors scientific research and its industrialization.

After ten years of efforts, China has now made breakthroughs in a set of key technologies applicable to the production of electric vehicles, and a 24,000-square meter factory capable of producing 1,000 EVs annually has been set up in suburban Beijing s Miyun County.

During the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing will employ some 1,000 environmentally friendly electric vehicles for public transportation as part of its efforts to host a "green" Olympiad. These "zero emission" vehicles will shuttle between match venues and athletes' communities.

Women Entrepreneur Seminar

A special seminar with the topic  Women Entrepreneurs and the Chinese Economy will be held on May 22 to acknowledge the growing contribution of women to China s social and economic development.

Present at the meeting will be Shi Qingqi, vice president of the China Association of Women Entrepreneurs; Dong Xiaoying, associate professor of the Department of Management Science and Management Information System, Guanghua School of Management of Peking University; Ye Ying, vice president of Kodak; and Li Yifei, general manager of MTV Networks China and Viacom Asia. They will share with participants their experiences in management.

Projects in other Provinces/Cities

Project promotion will be another major aspect of the Expo. This year, 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities will send delegations to the Expo. Some will be headed by provincial governors, underlining the importance they attach to the event. Of them, 18 have booked exhibition areas to display their unique local resources and potential investments. Projects in need of investment from overseas will be highlighted.

Shenzhen, a boom town and economic hub in south Chinas Guangdong Province, will attend the Expo for the 4th time. Sending the largest delegation ever, the city will display its achievements in integrated circuits (IC) design. It has now over 100 IC design enterprises, which have researched and developed various kinds of advanced chip products with self-owned property rights for digital TV, communication and consumption electronic sectors. Shenzhen sees the Expo as a platform for its IC enterprises to engage in international cooperation and exchanges so that the whole IC industry will benefit.