The 10th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT), scheduled to be held in Xiamen, Fujian Province, from September 8 to 11 will welcome more high-level participants from international organizations than last year, Huang Ling, vice mayor of Xiamen, told journalists on June 22.

 

 

To date, some 131 firms from 52 countries have registered their attendance and will be sending a delegation to the fair. Over 30 firms from 30 countries will participate in the exhibition. Booths for this year's fair will have a combined area of 1,600 square meters. The 9th CIFIT last year had a booth area of 1,215 square meters.

 

Several Chinese cities also belong to a program called Chinese Friendship Cities' Investment and Cooperation. To further promote exchange and cooperation between these "friendship cities", a forum on the subject will be held during the fair.

 

In addition, each day of the fair will feature a country-specific exhibition. Germany, Nigeria, the Philippines, the Netherlands, and Canada have expressed interest in taking part.

 

Huang also announced that ministerial and business leaders in the gasoline and public health sectors, provincial heads and governors, and ambassadors and consuls to China are expected to attend the fair.

 

Besides showcasing and introducing Chinese investment environment and policies and business invitation projects, CIFIT is a platform for investment projects. “To better display the role of such a platform is to consolidate the base for the fair, which we want to develop into an international investment expo,” Huang said.

 

Since its inception, the fair has successfully initiated 22,911 domestic and 1,426 overseas business invitation projects.

 

CIFIT is held annually in Xiamen and is sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and co-sponsored by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and International Finance Corporation (IFC). Organized by the Fujian provincial government and Xiamen municipal government, the main patron of the event is the Organization for Economic Corporation and Development (OECD).

 

CIFIT is country's sole international investment promotion event that focuses on foreign direct investment (FDI). Themed, "Introducing FDI and Going Global", CIFIT's main features include national and international trade development, investment negotiation and investment policy promotion, coordinated national and regional economic development, and economic and trade exchange across the Taiwan Straits.

 

CIFIT consists of three segments: an investment and trade exhibition, an international investment forum, and seminars on hot investment issues and project matchmaking.

 

(China.org.cn by staff reporter Zhang Tingting, June 26, 2006)