The 8th China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair will run on April 15-17. [Photo/WeChat account: shanghaifabu]

The 8th China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair, or CSITF, is set to be held on April 15-17 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, located in East China's Shanghai city.

A news conference was held on April 6 to introduce the highlights of this year's fair.

Focusing on the concept of "innovation-driven development, protection of intellectual property rights, and promotion of technology trade", this year's fair aims to highlight advanced technological achievements and digital transformation.

The total exhibition floorspace will be 35,000 square meters, with more than 1,000 exhibitors participating.

This year there will be exhibition areas devoted to sci-tech innovation, urban renewal, professional technology, innovation in ecology and trading services.

The fair will be presented both online and offline and the new online exhibition platform will cover both domestic and overseas resources. International exhibitors from Japan, the Netherlands, Finland, Hungary and other countries will participate in the exhibition through the online platform.

An Osaka-themed pavilion at the on-site venue will demonstrate the advanced technologies of Japanese enterprises in the field of new energy and is expected to help boost commerce and trade between China and Japan.

Some 30 participating domestic provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities will display their technologies in intelligent manufacturing, new materials, the industrial internet and other fields, while  Shandong province-themed pavilions will be set up.

There will also be a Yangtze River Delta section to showcase the innovative practices of the three provinces and one city in the region in the development of technology trade, regional collaborative innovation, intellectual property protection and other areas.

There will be an opening forum on global digital economy development trends in the post-epidemic era, as well as three theme-day activities and four featured forums.

The event is being co-organized by the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the China National Intellectual Property Administration and the Shanghai municipal government.