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Harbin fair attracts record number of participants

By Tu Lei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-06-15 11:37

Business people from home and abroad are ready to attend the 18th Harbin Fair. [Tu Lei/chinadaily.com.cn]

China Harbin International Fair for Trade and Economic Cooperation, which opened today in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, has attracted a record high number of participants, according to its organizing committee.

Up to now, around 10,000 overseas businesspeople from about 80 countries and regions and 100,000 domestic participants have registered for the event. Some 322 of the Global 500 companies attended it, including GE, IBM, DuPont, Ford and B&Q.

It's the first time for businesspeople from Bulgaria, Slovak, Holland and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to attend the Harbin fair. Eng, Ventsislav Peychev, a sweets producer from Bulgaria, said, "The trade between China and Bulgaria has developed so quickly in recent years, and I believe this show can help us expand our presence in China."

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The exhibition booths in this five-day fair amount to 2,000, up 20 percent compared with last year's fair, and the exhibition area covers 76,000 square meters. The fair is expected to see over US$90 billion worth transactions, according to the organizing committee.

The fair has 10 professional halls, some of which demonstrate projects and achievements in old industrial bases in Northeast China and Harbin-Daqing-Qiqihar Industry Corridor. And the dimension of green food hall expands 20 percent compared with the previous fair.

As one of the largest international fairs in the nation, it has been playing a significant role in developing economic exchanges in Northeast Asia and with other countries worldwide.