The 7th China Beijing International Hi-tech Expo (CHITEC), a grand gathering of the latest world sci-tech achievements and an occasion for discussing on hot topics in social and economic development, will be held from May 21 to 26 in Beijing.

The feature of the hi-tech Expo lies in its wide range of exhibits and activities, said Zhou Maofei, new president of Beijing Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

As one put it, Shanghai, Xi'an, Shenzhen and Beijing when it comes to large-scale economic and trade talks, the first three focus more on specific items while Beijing usually boasts of a richer content. It is reported that the six-day Expo will cover more than a hundred high-tech exhibitions, forums, and special item exchanges, project promotions and trade talks. More than 2,100 high-tech enterprises, research institutions and institutes of higher learning from home and abroad are invited to stage exhibitions in an 60,000 square meters area of China International Exhibition Center and China Architectural Culture Center. They cover a wide range of computer network information technology, electronic communication technology, modern manufacturing, environmental protection, energy, new materials, ecological engineering and medicine, ITS technology, media technology, capital sci-tech innovations as well as innovations by enterprises of medium and small sizes and individuals. Quite a large part of the exhibits are cutting-edge products in the high-tech or related fields of today's world.

Why the Expo is so wide-ranged? Related persons say that's because Beijing possesses rich human resources, and it is the first to smell policy trends. Meanwhile, it is located in a sci-tech forefront and that also helps is its cosmopolitan status.

As a matter of fact, promoting the modernization of Chinese cities and sharpening Beijing's competitive edge in the world have seemingly become the theme of previous expos. But recently some experts say China's sustained development relies on coordinated development of areas surrounding big cities. The holding of "Summit on Operation and Development of Chinese Cities 2004" is a wise decision for Beijing which lies in the forefront of policy making. This is reportedly the first of its kind ever held on the expo, on which topics including "urban resources integration and value increasing", "urban informationization construction" and "urban features and regional development" will be discussed. Experts and officials from related departments of the State Council, Beijing Municipal Government, Hong Kong, Macao and foreign countries such as the United States, Japan and Singapore will attend the summit and deliver key-note speeches. Invited are also presidents of large enterprises.

Rich resources can bring a well-to-do life for the people only when they are transferred into products of high added value. Taking opportunity of this expo, Inner Mongolia will particularly promote its eight major industries including rare-earth hi-tech and application, special vehicle, engineering machinery, natural gas and chemical industry and deep processing of products with high energy consumption. It hopes to realize the transformation of its rare-earth industry using Beijing's human resources and technological advantages.

Since its WTO accession, China's increasing opening up pattern has attracted a large number of transnationals and fast-growing companies to settle their headquarters, branches and R&D centers in big Chinese cities, which gave an impetus to the economic development of related areas and formed the "headquarter economy".

With resources from nationwide gathered in Beijing, the "Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan cosmopolitan economic circle" will become an ideal place for big enterprises to settle their national or north China headquarters. Many scholars predict that this area will play a bigger role of organization, coordination and management in future political, cultural life and international exchanges of the world, and Beijing will become a trans-continental center of politics, culture and international exchanges.

(People's Daily May 19, 2004)