Construction timetable announced for Beijing exhibition center

An executive with China International Exhibition Center Group Company announced Thursday that construction will begin in September on an international exhibition center near Capital International Airport.

Preparation for the construction has been completed, according to the corporate executive, who said the new complex would be situated west of the airport in Beijing's suburban Shunyi districtand will cover an area of 153 hectares.

With a budget of 2 billion yuan (about 241 million US dollars),the new complex will have a total floor space of 370,000 sq meters,including 200,000 sq m of exhibition halls and 170,000 sq m of supporting facilities such as a four-star hotel, an office building and a multi-purpose commercial establishment.

The first phase of the construction, 100,000 sq m of the exhibition halls, will be finished in September 2006.

Source: Xinhua