Saarland, Liverpool to guest at intl tech fair

The German state of Saarland and Liverpool city in England have formally accepted the invitation to be guests of honor at the 7th China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair, which will be held in April.

Saarland and Liverpool will carry out top leaders' meetings, dock projects and hold exhibitions at the fair.

Saarland boasts technological innovations and industrial manufacturing capability, and it also has Germany's top artificial intelligence manufacturing research and industrial agencies. Among which is DFKI, Germany's top AI research organization and the world's largest non-profit AI research organization.

Saarland's Minister-President Tobias Hans will lead representatives of the state's technology companies to attend the fair and set up 400 square meters of exhibitions on AI and smart city, and project docking events will also be held.

DFKI, in the meantime, has plans to establish projects such as an AI cooperation center, an incubation center, and an industrial park in Shanghai.

As Shanghai's Twin City, Liverpool has been invited as a guest of honor on the 20th anniversary of the two metropolises establishing twin city ties.

Representatives from more than 20 technological and innovation companies will attend the fair and they will set up a 144-square-meter exhibition area, and hold an investment promotion and technological and trade docking conference, which will focus on technological fields such as industry, education, and multimedia.

University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, as well as Liverpool's law firms, accounting firms, and service-oriented companies will also send representatives to the conference.

The China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair introduced the guest of honor mechanism at the third fair, and so far the honors have gone to the Czech Republic, Italy, and the Netherlands. In 2017, the guest of honor city mechanism was introduced at the fair, when Espoo, in Finland, was invited.

As the first national international technology fair, the expo has explored ways not only to import advanced technologies but also export China's technologies. Through the guest of honor country and city plus overseas exhibitions, the fair has taken initiative to dovetail with Belt and Road countries to find more business opportunities for Chinese companies.