On September 8th of this year, the fifth China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) will be held in Xiamen, a scenic coast city in Fujian Province of China.

CIFIT is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) of the People's Republic of China, and organized by the Provincial People's Government of Fujian and the Municipal People's Government of Xiamen. CIFIT is one of the largest Investment & Trade Fair in China, as well as the sole nation-wide investment promotion event with a stress on foreign direct investment. CIFIT invites a wide spectrum of international investors, traders, intermediate agencies, financial institutions, the representatives from foreign-funded investment companies in China, overseas companies, and overseas investment promotion organizations to participate and to set up booths at the Fair.

CIFIT affords the premier opportunity to obtain the most up-to-date investment policies and information in China, to make fact-finding investigations on foreign investment projects in China, and to meet a broad contingent of economic and trade officials from different levels throughout the nation, as well as assuring a broad comprehension of the investment environment throughout China.

Since 1997, CIFIT has been successfully held for four consecutive sessions. Every year, the event introduced over 10 thousand projects and attracted thousands of participants. The contractual value of projects signed in the former four CIFIT totaled nearly USD10 billion.

The exhibition layout and booth designs of the 5th CIFIT has the following characteristics:


will be arranged to emphasize CIFIT's focus on investment and dialogues, with project exhibition and negotiation as the focus, all with a view to emphasizing the "two-way" and "manifold features" of investment promotion.

will establish the International Pavilion for the first time. To further stress its international feature, CIFIT will expand the exhibition scale of delegations from other countries (regions), international economic organizations, chambers of commerce and transnational corporations. For this purpose, some developing countries will be invited to hold briefings on investment, and select domestic enterprises will organize talks with those wishing to attract foreign investment from these countries.
will arrange the pavilions in accordance with diverse specific projects. A keen integration of functional pavilions with professional booth design places member units and participants in a position to strengthen projects preparation and to arrange booths in a manner conducive to further cooperation and talks, as well as to help foreign investors learn about the projects. Displays will consist primarily of key investment projects or products of projects targeted for cooperation. The fair will support industrial projects and relevant products and technology covering 28 fields. The service sector, commerce, foreign trade, finance, insurance, telecom, tourism and intermediate services and other trades targeted for opening after China's entry into WTO will also be put forward for foreign investment.

will hold supply and demand meetings for principal products. The supply and demand meeting of IT products, automobiles and their components, and chemical industrial products will be put forward for the first time, offering direct negotiation opportunities for both parties to enhance the competitiveness of domestic products, thereby improving supply services to transnational corporations.

will establish the Foreign-funded Enterprise Pavilion. The Foreign-funded Enterprise Pavilion will be established to combine investment with trade and to promote domestic import and export through foreign investment. Various foreign-funded enterprises will be organized for the exhibition to capitalize upon the developing trends of diverse industries and trade. The exhibition will stress major achievements stemming from the utilization of foreign investment to promote domestic imports and exports, thus promoting an atmosphere for investment talks and for expanding China's import and export trade.
The "International Investment Forum", held concurrently with the Fair, is China's most prestigious forum for foreign investment policies and international investment strategies, and serves as a significant platform for cutting edge info on hot investment issues and capital flow at home and abroad. State leaders of China, senior foreign government officials, leaders of international economic organizations, famous entrepreneurs and celebrated personages in economics will give speeches at the forum.

The major activities of the 5th CIFIT are listed as below:


September 7, 2001 16:00, press conference on the preparation of CIFIT

September 7, 2001 18:00, welcoming banquet

September 7, 2001 19:00, opening evening party

September 8, 2001 9:08, opening ceremony of CIFIT

September 8, 2001 10:00 - 17:30, International Investment Forum, advanced Seminar

September 9 - 12, 2001, seminars and forum on hot issues for enterprises with foreign investment

September 8 -morning, 12, 2001, contract signing for major projects (organized by respective delegations)

September 9 -- 12, 2001, press conference by the member units

September 12, 2001 14:00, press conference on CIFIT achievements
The unique advantages of the Fair in promoting investment have captured the interests of international investors, traders, economic institutions and intermediate agencies. With the advent of the new century, CIFIT will continue to provide its participants with a full range of services by integrating investment and trade, exhibition and talks, investment promotion and policies consultation, and business activities and academic research-all with an eye to expanding the Fair into an international investment forum with unparalleled features and opportunities.
We warmly welcome Australia businesses to attend CIFIT this year. For further information on the event, please visit the website: www.chinafir.org.cn or approach commercial offices under Chinese Embassy or Chinese Consulate General in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The commercial offices will issue the invitation letter and related information to the participants.

Hot link: www.chinafir.org.cn

The contact details of commercial offices are as follows:

Commercial Office of Chinese Embassy
Phone: 02-62734785 Fax: 02-62734987
E-mail: commerce@chinaembassy.org.au

Commercial Office of Chinese Consulate General in Sydney
Phone: 02-96987788 Fax: 02-96987373
E-mail: eco@all.com.au

Commercial Office of Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne
Phone: 03-98220329 Fax: 03-98229415
E-mail: amjsch@netlink.com.au

Commercial Office of Chinese Consulate General in Perth
Phone: 08-94813279 Fax: 08-93218457
E-mail: moftecwa@iinet.net.au