Li Shuqin, vice-mayor of Yantai and the deputy-director of the event's organizing committee, said 900 exhibit booths, including 283 from overseas, will be on the show. More than 100 business and government delegations, 55 from overseas, will attend the fair.

All APEC members will send delegations to Yantai. Some of them, including Russia, Japan and the Republic of Korea, are organizing industrial and commercial entrepreneur groups to take part in the event.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation and Shandong Province, the investment fair is expected to offer valuable opportunities for economic co-operation and exchanges among APEC members. The fair is regarded as one of the most important diplomatic events for China this year.

The fair contains three parts: the investment lecture session, exhibition and APEC CEO Forum.

APEC members will be able to present their investment policies, opportunities and environment in the lecture series.

During the APEC CEO Forum, Chinese high-level officials, ministers, famous economists and business leaders will discuss directions in economic development in the 21st Century.

APEC member economies will each have a 100-square-metre booth in the exhibition to showcase their investment policies.

The 5th Meeting of APEC Science and Technology Industrial Parks Network will also be held during the week-long event.

The organizing committee has collated more than 1,500 major investment co-operation projects, and publicized them on Internet. About half of the projects are located in Shandong Province, with total investment value reaching US$10 billion.

(Xinhua 05/19/2001)