The 24th China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF), the largest-ever in its history in terms of exhibition area, will open today at its two main venues at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District and Shenzhen World Convention and Exhibition Center in Bao’an.

It is the first time that the fair will have two main venues, and subvenues will also be set up in Futian, Nanshan, Bao’an, Longhua and Luohu districts, according to the organizing committee.

The five-day fair, occupying over 300,000 square meters, will be held both online and offline, attracting more than 5,000 exhibitors from 40 countries and regions to participate.The exhibitors are expected to bring in a total of 8,000 projects.

A scene at the Longhua booth of the 24th China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF). Courtesy of the organizer

About 1,300 of the exhibitors will be enterprises administered by the Central Government, Fortune Global 500 firms, “small giant” enterprises, listed companies, foreign-invested firms and industry-leading companies.

Major sideline events will include a forum — the Xili Lake Forum — and three themed exhibitions.

They are a talent fair, an emergency and safety technology exhibition, and a water conservation technological innovation exhibition.

A robot brews coffee for the fairgoers at the Longhua booth of the 24th China Hi-Tech Fair at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District. Liu Xudong

The Xili Lake Forum, one of the fair’s highlights, will take place at the International Convention Center of Shenzhen University Town in Nanshan District. Renowned scholars and experts from home and abroad will share their insights on integrated development and cutting-edge technologies under the theme of innovation and sustainability. In addition to the main forum, 13 parallel forums will also be held during the fair. These will focus on science and technology, education, industry, finance, talents and the synergistic development of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

The water conservation technological innovation exhibition, which debuted at CHTF, will display the latest achievements and technologies in energy conservation, new energy, green materials and energy-saving technology applications. The first national water conservation technological innovation conference will also be held during the fair.

The Russian Ministry of Education and Science and the Bavarian Government of Germany, which have participated in the fair for over 20 years, will show up again at the online version of this year’s fair.

The Belt and Road Area and International Pavilion and the hall for foreign delegations have invited a number of foreign innovation centers and research institutes to attend. They will showcase their latest products on new-generation information technology, smart city, energy conservation and environmental protection. Famous enterprises from Australia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Germany, Austria, the U.K. and Canada will attend the fair.

The fair will also highlight key technological breakthroughs China has made from 2016 to 2020, which will cover communication, internet, Internet of Things, cloud computing, big data, internet of vehicles, AI, 5G and blockchain.

Shenzhen’s leading high-tech enterprises will display their latest achievements in industries highlighted in the city’s plan for development of future industrial clusters and future industries. The organizer has also designated a special exhibition area for “small giant” enterprises, which engage in professional and specialized niche markets, to display the quality and resilience of Shenzhen’s technological innovation-driven economy.

More information are available on www.chtf.com, m.chtf.com and the organizer’s WeChat account “高交会.”