Organizers say the 20th China Hi-Tech Fair is expected to kick of with gusto, running from Nov 14 to 18 in the city of Shenzhen in South China’s Guangdong province, showcasing cutting-edge, high-tech achievements from around the world.

The event will open at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, attracting exhibitors, experts and companies who will release their latest products and share insights in high-tech fields, according to the organizers.

Themed “New Development Concept for High Quality Growth”, the upcoming fair will focus on highlighting innovation and high quality developments－in a bid to facilitate economic growth through the advancement of high technologies.

The event will also focus on implementing national strategies, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the coordination of regional development.

This year, the fair will include exhibitions, high-level forums, themed conferences and diverse activities.

Achievements in innovation, scientific research, the Belt and Road Initiative and high technology will be exhibited.

Specific exhibitions will incorporate new energy, smart healthcare, the application of sensor technology and the internet of things, advanced manufacturing and new materials, organizers said.

“The fair is the largest and most influential science and technology exhibition in China,” said Wang Weizhong, Shenzhen’s Party chief.

It is also an event for participants from home and abroad to exchange the fruits of high technology and take a leading role in guiding the development of the world’s new technologies and products, he added.

This year, the overseas parallel venues will be launched in countries including Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

Dignitaries, professors and entrepreneurs at home and abroad will join together to discuss topics covering information technology, investment and finance.

The event is also expected to initiate more international cooperation projects for Chinese and overseas companies.

“The fair plays a key role in promoting Shenzhen’s high-tech industries as the first pillar industry,” said Wang Lixin, deputy mayor of Shenzhen.

The China Hi-Tech Fair shoulders the mission of serving the construction of an innovative country and an innovative Shenzhen, he added.

Last year, the exhibition area was set in about 120,000 square meters. A total of 3,049 exhibitors from 38 domestic provinces and cities, and 49 delegations from other countries and international organizations, will display more than 10,000 projects at the fair.

These covered virtual reality, big data, optoelectronics, drones and aerospace and aviation, which attracted 592,000 visitors from 102 countries and regions.

There were more than 252 forums and conferences held during the expo and 63 companies released their latest products and technologies.

It was estimated that 1,704 new products and 539 new technologies made their debut during the event, accounting for 22.4 percent of the total, organizers said.

The annual event is co-hosted by several ministries and commissions, including the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as well as the Shenzhen city government.

It has been held since 1999 and has become an important window for the opening-up of China’s high technology sectors to show its development to the world.