China Int'l High-tech Expo opens in Beijing
Last Updated:2013-05-22 00:00 | China.org  Save  Print   E-mail

On the afternoon of May 21, the 16th China Beijing International High-tech Expo (CHITEC) held its opening ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

The 16th China Beijing International High-tech Expo (CHITEC) held its opening ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 21, 2013. [China.org.cn]

Wan Gang, minister of Science and Technology and chairman of the High-tech Expo Organizing Committee, stressed in his speech how reform and innovation are the driving forces behind industrial reform. China will put in more effort to further its institutional reform of science and technology.
Wan delivered a speech entitled "Innovation-driven Transformation and Development." In his address, he pointed out that there will be huge demand in resources, energy, food, environment and health care in the coming decades. In the face of global industrial reform, China has made early preparations and laid a solid foundation for innovation-driven development.

Wan Gang, minister of Science and Technology and chairman of the High-tech Expo Organizing Committee, delivered a speech entitled "Innovation-driven Transformation and Development" at the opening ceremony of the 16th China Beijing International High-tech Expo (CHITEC) on May 21, 2013. [China.org.cn]

Wan said that China's science and technology cause has developed rapidly in the past five years. The contribution rate of science and technology climbed from 48.8% in 2008, to 51.7% in 2011. The total value of China's high-tech industry increased to ten trillion yuan in 2012, almost double the 5.7 trillion yuan in 2008, ranking second in the world.

Wan Gang stressed that China's economy has now entered the single-digit growth stage. To break the development bottleneck at this stage, the only way out lies in innovation. Therefore, China will put in more effort to push forward the institutional reform of its science and technology as to ensure the smooth implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy.

From May 22 to May 26, the High-tech Expo -- with an area of 55,000 square meters of exhibition -- will take place inside the China International Exhibition Center. Hundreds of National 863 Program achievements will make their debut during the event. There will be over ten forums & biztalks where officials, scholars and entrepreneurs from across the world will exchange their ideas and visions. Eleven international organizations, such as the World Bank Group and the Group of 50 European Countries, as well as more than 50 governmental, technological and business delegations from the United States, Britain, France and other 20 countries and regions, will participate in the expo. More than 2000 high-tech enterprises from home and abroad are set to gather in Beijing.

Guo Jinlong, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Committee of Beijing, attended the meeting. Vice Secretary of CPC Committee of Beijing, Mayor of Beijing and Chairman of the High-Tech Expo Organizing Committee Wang Anshun also addressed the attendees. Deputy Director of State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) and Vice Chairman of the High-Tech Expo Organizing Committee Huang Danhua chaired the meeting.

The CHITEC has been held a consequent fifteen times thus far. According to statistics, 4829 projects in total have been signed, with a total contract value of 77.71 billion dollars. 856 governmental and technological and business delegations from more than 100 countries and regions have attended the Expo. The CHITEC has become an important carrier of international exchange and industrial cooperation, an important window for China's high-tech achievements as well as an important platform for the transformation and industrialization of scientific and technological achievements.