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China's maritime industry has been on a rapid growth path, according to sources from the 2005 China International Maritime Exhibition in Shanghai Friday.

"China's thriving maritime industry and its brilliant future arrest the attention of its global counterparts," said Zhang Shengkun, head of the Shanghai Shipbuilding Engineering Council. "This also contributes to the rapid expansion of the China Maritime Exhibitions."

The combined tonnage of China's shipbuilding has ranked third in the world in a succession of 11 years. By the end of 2005, Shanghai will realize a total of 4 million tons in shipbuilding.

As of 2004, China had built 34,000 berths and 1,430 ports in the mainland, eight of which have bounded into the world's 100-million-ton ports.

During the four-day exhibition, about 1,000 companies from 28 countries and regions showed their latest and most sophisticated technology and service.

For the first time, Spain sent a group to the exhibition and the German group registered the largest one overseas.

The exhibition expanded its floor space to 27,000 square meters,50 percent more than the previous one.

The biennial China International Maritime Exhibition, cosponsored by the Chinese Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense, the Ministry of Communications and the Shanghai municipal government in 1981, has ranked among the most important maritime events in the world.