Deutsche Messe AG, sponsor of CeBIT, the world’s biggest information and communication tech expo, appointed four Chinese units to invite businesses to the 2015 event and boost economic and trade exchange between Chinese and German companies.
The partnership signing ceremony was held on July 7, and representatives from the four units – Hannover Milano Fairs China, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Electronics & Information Industry Sub-Council, China Electronics International Exhibition & Advertising Co, and the Shenzhen Science & Technology Development Exchange Center – were present.
"We're glad to cooperate with the four units to help more Chinese companies make themselves known to the world, and standardize exhibitor management," said Oliver Frese, member of the managing board of Deutsche Messe.
CeBIT attracted more than 210,000 guests in 2014, and China is the second biggest participant, next only to Germany. A total of 515 Chinese IT companies attended the event last year, taking up an exhibition area of 11,000 square meters.
China has been selected as the official partner country for CeBIT 2015.
During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Germany at the end of March, China and Germany agreed to make 2015 the year of “innovation cooperation” between the two countries.
"The partnership between China and the CeBIT show in Hannover is an essential component of China-German cooperation in information technology innovation,” said Frese. “It represents a key step towards promoting economic cooperation between China and Germany, particularly with regard to the high-tech sector.”
The Partner Country project is expected to have a substantial impact on the innovative dynamics of other sectors of industry, according to Frese. He added that the IT industry was considered a driver and trailblazer for new ideas and developments in the various user industries.
According to a current study by the European Information Technology Observatory, the Chinese IT market will grow by 8.8 percent this year, which makes it one of the fastest-growing nations in the area of information technology and telecommunications.
Deutsche Messe has enjoyed good relations with China for many years. It has run a subsidiary in Shanghai, and in 2001 the subsidiary took a stake in the SNIEC exhibition center in Shanghai.