Western Fair Set to Showcase Region's Development

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The 10th Western China International Economy and Trade Fair opens today in Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan province. Running until next Tuesday, this annual economic event is now seen as a key platform for diplomatic exchange, investment promotion, trade expansion and regional cooperation, according to its organizers.
This State-level premium event is set to attract many leading figures from the business world, as well as influential figures from both the academic and political circles.
The number of delegates from around the world, is estimated at more than 50,000.
Covering a total exhibition area of 150,000 sq m, the fair is home to more than 10,000 exhibition booths. The host province, Sichuan, has booked a 41,650 sq m exhibition area, accounting for nearly 28 percent of the total. Exhibitors from 55 countries and regions, 36 provinces and cities, as well as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, have booked the remaining floorspace.
Exhibition halls
The annual fair, launched in 2000, has witnessed dramatic change and rapid growth for the western regions. To mark this success, this year the organizers have designated a specific show area to highlight these achievements and showcase the successes of previous events.
As a result of the success of the initiative, a growing number of overseas investors are now considering western provinces and regions as ideal investment destinations, due to their lower costs,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], ample resources and favorable policies.
The Pan-Asia Regional Cooperation Hall, one of the designated areas for the 2009 event, has been designed to reflect the region's achievements in securing overseas cooperation. The hall includes sections dedicated to foreign countries and regions, multinationals, and international economic and trade organizations.
As Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces suffered hugely from last year's earthquake, domestic reconstruction has been a major theme in the regions' urban planning and building program. The Hall for Urban Planning and Construction Materials highlights the designs, building models, construction materials and engineering facilities that have been employed in the disaster-hit areas.
The Hall for Advantageous Industrial Cooperation showcases key industries for attracting investment, including electronic information, machine and equipment manufacturing, new energy, agriculture, tourism and textiles.
The hi-tech industry has also achieved significant growth in the western regions over recent years. The Hi-tech Industrial Hall forefronts the latest technologies and promotes patents and technological projects from across the region.
Themed activities
Some 60 complementary events will be held concurrently with the five-day symposium.
These will include the second China West International Cooperative Forum, where premier Wen Jiabao will deliver a keynote speech during its morning opening ceremony. Other attendees will include high-ranking governmental officials from China and a number of visiting nations. A pan-Asia economic cooperation plan is expected to be formally approved during the forum.
Another forum, aimed at ministers of commerce, is also scheduled to take place during the event. Some 200 delegates will attend this forum, including ministers of commerce, trade and industry, leaders of the Sichuan provincial government, corporate executives and business specialists. The ministers will make a number of presentations and brief attendees on the specific investment environments of their home countries.
With trade associations now playing an increasingly important role in commerce, the 2009 International Commercial Association Summit is expected to draw wide attention.
A total of 300 participants from the International Chamber of Commerce, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), multinational and regional economic organizations, the Sichuan provincial government and senior executives from a number of Fortune 500 firms will meet to exchange insights on trade association missions and obligations against the backdrop of the current worldwide economic turmoil.
As part of their discussions, they will focus on promoting market diversification and providing improved public services.
The China-EU Cooperation Week, launched on Tuesday, is also providing more cooperative opportunities for both parties. Supported by the European commission and 27 EU member countries, a series of related activities will take place during the trade fair, including agricultural projects, a forum on cooperation and the development of business start-ups and a symposium on industrial cooperation and service outsourcing.
Additionally,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], six of the western provinces and cities will stage special events to promote their investment climate and available projects in a bid to seek external backing.
This year's fair has been jointly sponsored by the ministries of commerce,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], industry and information technology, science and technology, and agriculture, the National Development and Reform Commission, the State Ministration for Industry and Commerce, the Central Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the CCPIT, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the All China Federation of Industry and Commerce and the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives. It also has the backing of the six provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai, and five autonomous regions of Tibet, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Guangxi, Chongqing and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.