Among the displays will be mining and environmental protection machinery, electronic engineering equipment, digitally-controlled machine tools, industrial automatic equipment, new vehicles and agricultural and food machinery.

The expo is expected to attract over 260 Chinese firms and 170 overseas enterprises, including some of the world's top 500 companies, from more than 20 countries and regions such as the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Japan.

Exhibitors have booked 1,457 show booths so far.

Co-sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the government of Liaoning Province, the expo is designed to showcase China's world standard machine manufacturing.

After China's entry to the World Trade Organization, "Made in China" had become increasingly prominent with the development of manufacturing, said the organizer.

The expo would help enhance understanding of China's manufacturing, speed up the introduction of high technology and new techniques, and promote the country's manufacturing industry, said Yu Xiaosong, president of the CCPIT.

Seminars and trade talks will be held during the event and future expos will be held regularly.

Shengyang is a "trial city for national advanced machinery", said Chen Zhenggao, deputy governor of the province and mayor of Shenyang city.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2002)