The 13th Western China International Fair Kicks Off to Great Fanfare

CHENGDU, China, Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ The grand opening of the 13th Western China International Fair (WCIF) took place in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on the evening of September 25. Wu Bangguo, member of the standing committee of the political bureau of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), attended the opening ceremony.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120927/CN81321)

At nightfall of that day, a festive mood prevailed in the brightly lit Sichuan Provincial Gymnasium, bedecked with an array of magnificent and beautiful flowers. A special gala event, showcasing western China's long and glorious history as well as highlights of the region's modern lifestyle, opened this year's WCIF.

At 8 pm sharp, Wu Bangguo announced the opening of the 13th Western China International Fair. Then, shortly after, together with the important foreign political figures and guests attending the fair, he pressed the trigger device, precipitating a round of enthusiastic and welcoming applause.

Notable fair attendees included Li Jianguo, vice chairman and secretary-general of China's NPC, Abdul Hamid, speaker of Bangladesh's national parliament, Macedonian deputy prime minister Vladimir Pesevski, chairman of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Business Council Dmitry Mezentsev and UN assistant secretary-general Jan Mattsson.

With the rotating presidency role now belonging to Inner Mongolia, the region's party secretary Hu Chunhua presided over the evening's events. China Sichuan Committee party chief Liu Qibao and Vice-Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan, both addressed the opening ceremony.

Initiated in 2000, WCIF is jointly hosted by several departments under the State Council of China and agencies under the central government, 12 provincial, regional and municipal governments in addition to Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Organization of the event was administered by Sichuan Provincial People's Government. This year's WCIF, with the theme of "deepening international cooperation and accelerating development of western China", will mainly exhibit electronic information products, equipment manufacturing, new energy and new materials, as well as products that are the results of hi-tech achievements. The WCIF will also include the Western China International Cooperation Forum, the Conference on Investing in Western China and the Ceremony for Signing Economic Cooperation Contracts.

For more information, please contact:

Shu Ping
Tel: +86-28-86605690
E-mail: shuping@wcif.cn