The biggest information technology (IT) exhibition Europe has staged in China has attracted more than 160 European companies despite rampant piracy of intellectual property.
Organised by the European Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Information Technology, the exhibition will be held from April 16-20 at the China World Trade Centre in Beijing.
More than 1,000 participants are expected, organisers said yesterday.
Jurgen Sanders, from the European Union's embassy in Beijing, said the response from Europe had been much larger than for similar shows in the United States and Japan.
'Protection of intellectual property is a big headache,' Mr Sanders said. 'We have a big problem with products copied in China. We have co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation on copyright protection.
'Copying shows an openness to new ideas. In standards and regulations, we would like copying to make unified standards. In research, we must work together to make new products.'