By Wang Yuanyuan
A record 525,000 people visited the 12th China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF) that came to a close at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center yesterday.
Organizers said the fair attracted nearly 2,450 investors and 2,800 exhibitors from 49 countries and regions, including Russia, Germany, Hungary and Finland. About 12,800 projects were displayed at the fair.
It was the largest fair to date, with the most visitors, investors and exhibitors, Mayor Xu Qing said at the closing ceremony yesterday.
More than 1,200 journalists from around the world reported the event, Xu said.
A wide variety of forums and meetings were held during the event, with speakers including ministers from several nations and leading entrepreneurs from around the world.
The China Hi-Tech Fair held its overseas versions in Hungary and Israel in June, and more countries have shown interest in holding subsidiary fairs in the future, according to Xu.
Such fairs serve as an ideal platform for Chinese enterprises to enter the international market and are major channels through which foreign companies can expand their business networks in China, Xu said.
Next year s CHTF is expected to be held from Nov. 16 to 21 in Shenzhen.
The CHTF was first held in Shenzhen in 1999 and the annual event is now the biggest and most influential science exhibition in China.
