SHENZHEN - An exhibition featuring hi-tech Chinese products and technology opened Thursday in Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province.

The China Hi-tech Fair 2017 has drawn more than 3,000 exhibitors from over 30 countries.

Covering a total area of 120,000 square meters, 12 exhibition zones feature hi-tech products in environmental protection, biological sciences, new energy, new materials, military and civil integration, and sensor technology.

Gao Zimin, deputy mayor of Shenzhen, estimated people from 80 countries will look for business opportunities there and the number of visitors will exceed 500,000 over the six days of the event.

Apart from the release of over 1,000 new products, around 100 technical meetings and forums will discuss different sectors. Fair organizers have arranged paired meetings between overseas purchasers and domestic hi-tech companies, and investigation tours for international exhibitors, said Gao.

A Belt and Road pavilion has drawn exhibitors from 27, the most since the pavilion was set up in 2015.

"The fair has brought more international attention, communication and cooperation between Chinese hi-tech players and their foreign counterparts," said Gao, adding delegations from Argentina and Papua New Guinea are attending the fair for the first time.

The annual science and technology fair, launched in 1999, is the largest and the most influential in China.