China's second international conference on e-government technology will open in Shanghai from Dec. 17 to 20, with an expected 100,000 people visiting, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced in Beijing Tuesday.

The meeting, initiated by the CAS, will be co-sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai municipal government, the China Association for Science and Technology, and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

The organizers said the meeting would include two exhibitions, and six forums and special programs. The forums will cover planning for China's e-government development, international exchange of e-government technology, e-government safety, infrastructure construction, sharing of government information, and construction of digitized cities.

Hundreds of government organizations from over 20 Chinese provinces and regions have applied to attend. More than 80,000 people have applied for tickets by accessing the conference website. Leading IT suppliers, such as IBM, Microsoft and Founder, will attend.

The organizers said e-government technology in China had seen great progress with planning policies and projects launched in recent years.

It is estimated that China will invest more than 25 million yuan (US$3 million) annually in e-government construction in coming years.

The 1st e-government conference was held in Beijing last year. The official website is www.egovchina.org.

(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2003)