First Beijing International Commercial Business Festival opens

The 2000 Beijing Chaoyang International Commercial Business Festival, the first of its kind in Beijing, opened Tuesday evening, aiming at making a modern city name-card and jointly building international commercial business.

During the four-day festival period, a number of Chinese and overseas economists, government officials and experts of Central Business District (CBD) construction gathered to discuss the building of Beijing's CBD.

Beijing municipal government will announced during the festival the planned area for CBD construction and will collect the Beijing CBD building plans from experts both at home and abroad.

An economic and trade fair, a real estate exhibition, singing performances and fashion show and a number of other exhibitions will be held during the festival.

Organizers of the festival said the holding of the festival is aimed at pushing ahead the building of Beijing's CBD and the city' s modernization drive.

Beijing plans to build a 3.99-square-kilometer CBD in the eastern part of the city.

The festival has attracted Nokia, Motorola and a number of other world famous corporations.

The Beijing municipal government has arranged more than 40 projects valued at over US$10 million for seeking partners.

The festival will be a regular event in the coming years.

Top Beijing officials and some senior officials from central government and organizations attended the opening of the festival.