ICT Minister Steven Joyce will meet with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and key telcos in Beijing, spend a day at the World Expo and address a Kiwi Expat Association function in Shanghai.

"China’s ICT market is vast. They have more than 420 million internet users, 823 million mobile phone users, and 277 million mobile phone internet users," said Joyce.

The delegation is due to visit Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen from October 17th to 22nd and this is the sixth ministerial-led mission to the Shanghai 2010 World Expo this year.

"The Chinese government has placed great emphasis on developing their high-tech sector and New Zealand companies are well placed to respond to opportunities arising from the rapid growth of China’s telecommunications industry.

"This mission aims to help further develop long-term, sustainable relationships with key Chinese agencies and companies operating in the ICT sector.

"It also builds on bilateral ICT cooperation between the New Zealand and Chinese governments and supports the Arrangement for Cooperation in the Information Technology and Communications sectors, signed by our two countries in April 2009,” Joyce said.

Heads of some of New Zealand's leading ICT companies will be represented including 2Degrees Mobile, 4RF Communications, Datacom Services, Mako Networks, Mobile Mentor, Mobilis Networks, Navman Wireless, Open Cloud, Orion Health, Pingar LP, Tomizone and the New Zealand ICT Group.

Following his keynote speech at Huawei’s broadband summit last month, Joyce will also visit Huawei’s research and development facility in Shenzhen.