The fifth Beijing International Printing Technology Exhibition, also dubbed China Print 2001, is scheduled to open on May 23 through 28, an organizer of the exhibition told a news conference Wednesday.

The exhibition is jointly sponsored by the Printing Equipment Industries Association of China (PEIAC) and the China International Exhibition Corporation.

More than 600 print companies from some 20 countries and regions, such as China, Australia, Finland, Germany, will exhibit various printing, packaging and office equipment during the event.

High-level forums on the latest printing technologies will also be held during the exhibition.

An official with PEIAC said that the exhibition will greatly promote exchanges between printing enterprises worldwide, and expose the Chinese printing industry to advanced foreign printing technologies.

China Print is China's largest printing technology exhibition and also one of the six largest international print exhibitions. The exhibition was approved by the State Council and has been held every four years since 1984.