The upcoming 2002 China International Expo of IT for the Manufacturing Industry will boost the application of information technology in the nation's manufacturers, officials said.

The expo, sponsored by the Leader Group of the State Program of IT Application in Manufacturing Industry and the Ministry of Science and Technology's high- and new-tech development and industrialization department, will be jointly managed by the Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Department and the Dongguan city government.

The event is scheduled for July 25 through July 28 in Dongguan, a shining Pearl River Delta city in South China's Guangdong Province.

Delegates from 35 provinces, autonomous regions and cities and from more than 500 enterprises, including globally renowned IT enterprises, will attend the exposition.

The expo will highlight solutions, support and training programs for several crucial technologies in the nation's manufacturing industry, said Ye Jingtu, director of Dongguan Science and Technology Bureau.

A showcase of China's achievements in IT applications in the manufacturing industry, the expo is a golden venue for IT solution suppliers to forge cooperative ties with manufacturing enterprises, noted Li Jian, director of the high- and new-tech development and industrialization department of the ministry.

Li said that the expo, together with the seminars, is expected to promote innovation within the manufacturing industry.

Leng Xiaoming, vice-mayor of Dongguan, said that the July event will fortify Dongguan's status as one of China's key manufacturing bases.

(China Daily June 14, 2002)