China's first international habitat festival is expected to be held in Weihai city, a coastal city in east China's Shandong province, from Sept. 1 to 5.

Song Yuanfang, mayor of Weihai, announced in Beijing Monday that to support the festival, the United Nations Center for Human Settlement (UNCHS) has decided to set up its UN-Habitat City-to-City Secretariat in Weihai, which will be inaugurated during the festival.

According to Song, the theme of the festival is "Habitat Environment & Development," which will attract officials from many international organizations like the UNCHS, World Bank, Asia Development Bank, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and mayors from some domestic and overseas cities.

Besides the five-day festival, noted Song, Weihai city will also host two other international activities during the second half of this year, the Eighth Annual Conference of the Asia Science Park Association (ASPA) and the Northeast Asia Economic Cooperation Summit 2004 (NEAECS).

Located at the eastern tip of east China's Shandong peninsula, Weihai city is known as China's first Hygienic city and national garden city.

The city was twice awarded the Best Practices for Improving Living Environment by the United Nations, and last year, Weihai received the UN Habitat Scroll of Honor Awards, which is the highest honor in the field of improving human settlements all around the world.