Zhang Yutai, vice president of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), announced Monday that China is prepared for an "Olympics for engineers” from Nov. 2 to 6 in Shanghai.

Together with the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and Shanghai Municipal Government, CAST will sponsor the World Engineers' Convention 2004, which was initiated by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Zhang said topics for discussion at the convention would include computerized network infrastructure, bio-engineering and life sciences, transportation and sustained development of super metropolises, environmental protection and disaster prevention, agricultural engineering and food safety, natural resources and energy, and environmentally-friendly manufacturing.

Some 12 well-known engineers are invited to deliver speeches at the convention, he said.

Wu Hequan, vice president of the CAE, said that the Chinese engineers are eager to exchange views on the latest engineering advances with their global counterparts.

An exhibition of future gifted engineers will also be organized in the same period of the convention. A total of 100 designs and original ideas, coming from high school or college students, would-be shown at the event.

The organizing committee for the convention kicked off an official website, www.wec2004.org.

(Xinhua News Agency May 11, 2004)