The Fifth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Small and Medium Enterprises Technology Conference and Fair (APEC METC) will be held in Qingdao, a coastal city in east China's Shandong Province, from May 30 to June 2.

With the theme of "Technology Boosts Economy and Cooperation Creates the Future," APEC METC aims to help SMEs break existing bottlenecks in financing, innovation and marketing, said Ma Liqiang, deputy secretary of China's National Development and Reform Commission at the event's announcement on February 26 in Beijing.

According to Ma, the highlight of this year's event will be its technology and program exchanges on energy-saving and emission control solutions and applications. Dialogue between APEC SMEs and World Fortune 500; exhibitions ranging from auto parts, construction materials, electronics and appliances to textiles and equipment will also be made available to participants.

APEC METC is sponsored jointly by the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Commerce and the Qingdao municipal government.

Qingdao held the third and fourth APEC METC in June 2004 and May 2006 respectively, attracting some 2,500 participants from home and abroad, including 500 from 16 APEC members. Contracts worth $300 billion were signed during the previous fairs.

To boost the development of SMEs in Qingdao, the municipal government established the SMEs Strategy Alliance on May 11, 2006.