Sources from the fair organizing committee said Shenzhen municipal government made the decision due to the efficient control of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) disease.

The first SARS case among the city's eight million population was found on Feb.8. So far, the city has had 53 confirmed SARS cases, but no new confirmed cases have been found for 37 consecutive days.

High-tech enterprises, scientific institutes and investors in countries like Canada, Germany, UK and France and some domestic enterprises will participate in the fair.

The organizing committee promised that the Shenzhen government would take every possible measure to ensure the safety of the fair.

China International High-tech Fair is a large-scale trade fair featuring the latest high-tech products and technology. During the fourth trade fair in 2002, 1,453 project agreements worth US$11.23 billion were signed.

(Xinhua News Agency June 19, 2003)