All the 21 APEC member economies have sent delegates to the mart, one of a series of APEC activities hosted by China, APEC 2001 host country.

The mart is co-sponsored by China's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and the provincial government of Shandong. State Councilor Wu Yi and Foreign Trade Minister Shi Guangsheng attended the opening ceremony.

The event includes a number of conferences, workshops, symposia and talks on investment in different industries. Some 30,000 officials, experts and businessmen are expected to participate in the activities.

The First APEC Investment Mart was held in Seoul, capital of the Republic of Korea, in 1999 and since then, great achievements have been witnessed in trade and economic cooperation among APEC member economies.

APEC, a forum for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, is an important regional economic mechanism. Its members account for 45 percent of the world's population, 55 percent of the world's GDP, and 46 percent of the trade in the world.

(China Daily 06/09/2001)