The Third China International Software & Information Service Fair will be held in Dalian, a port city in northeast China's Liaoning Province, next week.

Deputy Mayor Dai Yulin said Thursday that about 800 IT companies from home and abroad will participate in the fair, which is scheduled to open June 22. The companies include Microsoft, Intel, HP and IBM, but the fair will attract new names from India, Ireland, France, Germany and Austria, the official said.

The Ministry of Commerce of China will hold its annual meeting on software outsourcing and a symposium on software export.

About 30,000 Chinese IT professionals are expected to attend an international IT job fair during the event, the deputy mayor said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 18, 2005)