The 2006 Conference on International Exchange of Professionals (CIEP) and High-Tech Exhibition, organized by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, the State Council’s Office for Revitalizing Northeast China, the People’s Government of Liaoning Province and Shenyang Municipal People’s Government, was held in Shenyang from September 20 to 21, with representatives of 700-plus organizations from more than 30 countries, including Russia, the United States, Japan and Germany, and nearly 10,000 representatives from 6,000-plus domestic enterprises and public institutions attending the opening ceremony. Zhang Bolin, Vice-head of the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

The two-day conference, with a focus on “Attracting Talents and Revitalizing Liaoning”, highlighted the geographical advantages of Northeast China, and created a special exhibition area for “Russia and CIS countries”, showcasing more than 2,000 high-tech projects in the fields such as machinery manufacturing, electronics and electricity, petrochemical engineering, metallurgy & mining, testing instruments, health care, environmental protection, information technology, biotechnology, and agriculture & forestry.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the conference was the large number of participants from Russia and CIS countries. The conference in Shenyang was attended by 32 regional and national academies of science from Russia and CIS countries. Almost 350 scholars were present, more than 2,000 high-tech projects were announced, and over 2,060 cooperation intentions were made. At the opening ceremony, Andreyev, President of the Russian National Foundation for the Promotion of Innovation and Development of Universities, expressed that the aforementioned projects would provide new impetus for the international cooperation between the peoples of Russia and China, advance science and technology, strengthen economic and trade relations, and foster talent exchange between the two countries.