Wu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, made the remarks when delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the World Telecom 2006 of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

On behalf of the Chinese government, he extended congratulations to Telecom World 2006 and welcome to all participants of the event. Wu also thanked the ITU for selecting Chinese Hong Kong as the venue for the exposition.

He said that in the process of reform and opening up, China's ICT industry has realized leap-forward development and has become a pillar industry and pioneering industry of the country.

"China is now an ICT market with the greatest potential of development in the world," he said.

The Chinese government will continue to push the development of information industry with a development strategy of industrializing the country with information industry as the locomotive and promoting the information industry through industrialization.

"China sincerely welcomes enterprises of all countries and regions to invest and jointly tap the Chinese market," he said, adding that China welcomes multinational companies to set up R&D centers to carry out coordinated research and development of technologies and products with Chinese companies.

"The Chinese government will protect the legal rights and interests of all foreign investors and their intellectual property rights (IPR) in accordance with laws, and firmly crack down on IPR infringements and copyrights piracy," Wu said.

Meanwhile, China encourages its well-established enterprises to "go out" and actively carry out international technological cooperation, he said.

Telecom World 2006 is the largest exposition in terms of attendance and exhibition space since the exposition was launched in 1971, and this is also the first time the exposition is staged outside Geneva, the headquarters of ITU.

More than 600 ICT enterprises from over 40 countries and regions attended the exhibition, which covers 60,000 square meters and displays the latest products, services, new technologies and the development trend of the ICT industry.

Speakers at the opening ceremony included Yoshio Utsumi, ITU secretary general, Muhamad Yunus, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2006, and Donald Tsang, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

Hong Kong enjoys exceptional advantages in developing ICT industry, Wu said, citing the local excellent ICT enterprises, its successful experience in business development and management and its world-recognized prestige.

He also pointed to Hong Kong's high degree of free and open economy, sound and healthy legal system, its broad links with international markets and many economic talents who are familiar with international practices.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong, adjacent to the Chinese mainland, has forged indispensable, mutually-complemented and win-win cooperative economic links with the motherland, enabling it to tap the vast market on the mainland and get endless momentum for its development, he said.

After the opening ceremony, Wu attended the welcoming reception hosted by the HKSAR government. Before the ceremony, he met Utsumi and senior executives of renowned foreign ICT companies for the exposition.

In the morning, Wu visited the preview of the exhibition.

Present at the opening ceremony included Liao Hui, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.