Robots perform Yingge Dance, a form of folk dance popular in south China's Guangdong Province, during the 20th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, May 24, 2024. The 20th ICIF opened on Thursday in the southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen. The fair will showcase new business forms and new applications through the combination of multimedia such as AI and AR. (Photo: Xinhua)

The China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair (CSITF), known as the "weathervane" of China's technology trade, opened on Wednesday, with 28 Chinese and foreign companies and institutions debuting new products and technologies ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) large language models and biomedicine products to service robots and new materials. 

Observers said that the expo is a vivid display of Chinese firms' technological prowess, which has been continuously climbing despite certain countries' reckless blockades. It also demonstrates the country's openness to further expanding global technological cooperation, which is particularly beneficial to closing the tech gaps of developing countries.   

The two-day expo, with an exhibition area of 35,000 square meters, features five exhibition zones including energy and low-carbon technology, digital technology, biomedicine technology, and innovation ecosystem and services. 

The expo has drawn nearly 1,000 exhibitors. Among them are more than 60 exhibitors from emerging fields such as commercial cryptography, the low-altitude economy and embedded systems, which have expanded their display areas. More than 20 projects in areas such as carbon footprint analysis, generative AI and the agricultural seed industry were showcased for the first time, the Xinmin Evening News reported on Wednesday.

Generative AI and large language models are in the spotlight, with their applications across multiple industries, a focal point among visitors. 

Shanghai-based AI unicorn YITU Technology said in a note sent to the Global Times on Wednesday that the company is showcasing its cutting-edge crypto technologies and an AI security system known as Tianwen at the fair. 

Developed in 2023, the Tianwen model integrates language and vision representation spaces, and the company said it is the world's first commercially available multi-modal large language model product in the security industry.

Another leading Chinese AI company, SenseTime Technology, displayed a medical large language model. In the healthcare sector, the company unveiled comprehensive upgrades to its "SenseChat-Medical" model, significantly improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare services.

"Our goal is to unleash the potential of large language models in the health industry, empowering the high-quality development of the Chinese industry chain," said a statement SenseTime sent to the Global Times on Wednesday.

The Shanghai Industrial Internet Innovation Center, for example, unveiled the Global Certification Intelligence AI model, representing its latest breakthrough in generative AI. The model is the first of its kind in China to integrate certification management resources and technical standards from nearly 100 countries, and thus it combines AI large language models with demand from the overseas expansion of Chinese firms. 

More than 20 globally leading technologies reportedly will be showcased at the expo, demonstrating the prowess of China's homegrown technologies, according to the report. 

The products include the world's first integrated design project for deep-sea wind power and marine ranching; the world's first ultra-large force standard testing device; a series of enhanced technologies for key components of aircraft engines, and the first domestically produced large F-class heavy-duty gas turbine with hydrogen-blended combustion.

Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the expo could facilitate international exchanges and cooperation, which will benefit China's technological progress and the collective rise of global technology.

"It also sends a strong signal that despite the crackdown by the US, China is committed to an open attitude in global technological cooperation. This helps enhance international recognition and trust in China's technological innovation capabilities," Wang added.

Observers said that the expo will help  translate technological breakthroughs into new quality productive forces, which are of vital importance to the high-quality development of China's real economy.