Provincial governments throughout China and relevant state ministries and commissions will attend the fair to promote their investment projects and products, according to officials from the department of foreign trade and economic cooperation.

The fair will focus on such themes as new investment fields in China since it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), major state projects and the hot topics for international capital investment.

Fifteen forums and relevant seminars on international investment and Chinese industries are on the fair's agenda.

Organizers said the fair is expected to attract more foreign investors after China's accession to the WTO, while more Chinese enterprises will be encouraged to invest overseas.

Last year's fair produced impressive results both in foreign direct investment and in trade. Some 1,814 project contracts in high-tech, real estate, tourism and other sectors were signed with a total contractual value of US$13.65 billion, of which US$11.235 billion came from overseas.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2003)