Delegations from more than a dozen countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore, as well as delegations from all provinces of China are participating in the summit.

Senior government officials from both China and foreign countries along with noted figures from some international institutions will deliver speeches at the four-day meeting.

The summit, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Information Industry, the State Development and Planning Commission, the State Economic and Trade Commission and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, will focus on the global e-commerce development trend and international cooperation in this field.

As a part of the summit, a large scale exhibition will display the latest products and services in the e-commerce field.

Yang Weidong, secretary-general of the China E-Commerce Association, which is hosting the summit, said this year's meeting features a major change from the previous ones: companies from traditional industries, rather than dot coms, have moved to the center of attention.

International conglomerates like Commerce One, SUN and Compaq, and Chinese companies including the China Construction Bank, the Merchant Bank of China, the China Oil and Petroleum Corporation and a number of securities firms, are making their presence at the summit.

(Xinhua 04/05/2001)