www.chinaview.cn 2009-04-26 21:42:12

BEIJING , April 26 -- The 4th Central China Expo started in Hefei, capital of Anhui Province, on Sunday.

The Expo attracted 16,000 businessmen, despite the global financial crisis, including representatives from 300 of the world's top 500 multinational corporations such as Carrefour and IBM.

Also on hand were foreign officials, including Noli De Castro, Vice President of the Philippines, Yok Mu-ming, New Party Chairman from Taiwan, and chief executives of the Hong Kong and Macao Special Autonomous Regions Donald Tsang Yam-Kuen and Edmund Ho Hau Wah.

China's central region, comprising Shanxi, Henan, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi and Anhui provinces, covers more than 10 percent of the country's territory and has 28 percent of the national population.

The previous three sessions were held in the capitals of Hunan, Henan and Hubei provinces.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hefei. (XHTV)