CeBIT Asia 2002, one of the largest expositions of information technologies in Asian-Pacific region, attracted 544 telecommunication enterprises and service providers from 25 countries and regions worldwide.

Statistics published at the exhibition show that China’s IT market is growing quickly and will be even further accelerated by a rebound in IT industry. It is predicted that the number of telephone numbers in China will reach 1 billion by 2020.

“The Chinese IT market is the fastest growing in the world,” said Lou Qinjian, vice minister of information industry. It increased four times that of GDP in the past 10 years, and the number of Internet users is now second only to America. The overseas sale of IT products is now at the top of China’s export list.

A lot of companies have been promoting their latest products at the exhibition. Jason Chun Shen Chen, vice president of Intel Co. and general manager of Asian Pacific Operation, said, “Only investment in times of recession can enable companies to snag opportunities once the recovery begins.”

According to statistics from the Hannover Fairs China, IT products stood for 15 percent of the total exhibits last year, while increasing to 30 percent this year, indicating that a recovery in the IT industry maybe underway.

(China.org.cn by Feng Yikun, September 12, 2002)