How Technology and Open Standards Will Impact China's Performance in the Global Economy

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND/January 21, 2004 - China, the world's most dynamic economy, has maintained its position as the leader in direct foreign investments and, as a result, is poised to become an economic superpower, according to the latest Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index(R) published by A.T. Kearney. This will profoundly affect the global competitive capabilities of small and multinational corporations alike. LISA has collaborated with IDEAlliance to highlight the impact of these changes and to review how language, technology and open standards can play a pivotal role at the CHINA FOCUS 2004 event held from March 31st through April 3rd at the Cypress Hotel in Shanghai.

LISA's China Focus 2004 will be the place for companies and professionals to meet and discuss how they can develop the business knowledge and technical skills necessary to succeed in China's globalization, internationalization, localization and translation marketplace. How these skills are implemented and used may determine a company's success in the coming decade, as more products and services are exported from China.

"Tools like XML and XML-related standards will play an increasingly important role in this market as China continues to raise its product development and business support standards," said David Steinhardt, President and CEO of IDEAlliance, a leader in information technology since 1966, which has fostered the development and adoption of standards such as GRACoL, ICE, JIFFI, Mail.dat, papiNet, PRISM, PROSE XML, SPACE XML, SGML, and XML.

"World Trade revolves around the ability to manage and move information, in addition to goods and services. A company's ability to communicate with its trade partners is critical to its success. Language technology, coupled with standards implementation, facilitate the trade process, making the investment in these systems a prerequisite for the global business community." says John Hammond, Head, Product Management & Marketing, Exonomy Limited (A Subsidiary of Standard Chartered Bank) and Executive Committee Advisor to LISA the premier organization for the Globalization business community and the developer of XML-based open standards as TMX and TBX.

Finance, automotive, manufacturing, media, system integrators and information technology services are the business sectors that will be covered at LISA's 49th international conference. Through case studies, tutorials and advisory sessions, participants will explore how China can be successful in importing and exporting products as well services and technologies from the west. Panels will review the standards, language technology and information needed to educate Chinese companies to define the migration strategy from a low-cost labor/manufacturing market to one of service, expertise and quality. Finally, experts will address what China must do to prepare itself for the inevitable price-gap change.

Workgroup, advisory leaders and invited speakers include · ChinaMobile · China Telecom · CNN.china · Detroit Translations Bureau · Digital China Holdings · EMC Corporation · Exonomy Limited · GMC Asia · Google Asia Pacific · Hewlett-Packard Singapore · International Accounting Standards Board · I18n Inc. · IBM China · L'Oreal Asia Pacific · Legend Group · Motorola · Nokia · OASIS · Oracle · RWS Group · Standard Chartered Bank · Tradelink Int'l · Trados ·

CHINA FOCUS 2004 is sponsored by Hewlett Packard China · Standard Chartered Bank · IBM China Globalization Competency Centre · and, with the collaboration of IDEAlliance ·

For an in-depth view of the agenda and registration information for the CHINA FOCUS 2004 visit www.lisa.org/events/2004china
Members of the media are invited to obtain a press pass by registering at www.lisa.org/events/2004china/pressinfo.html

About LISA
The Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA) is among the most significant forces in today's Language Technology and International Business sectors. LISA serves as a nexus between the many organizations engaged in helping businesses to become global enterprises. This includes customers, government, technical and industry-specific standards organizations, research and consulting firms, language technology developers and service providers.
Speaking on behalf of the industry, LISA presents a clear, consistent, unbiased view of the challenges associated with globalization, the standards that apply to the resolution of those challenges, and the worldwide resources available to focus on these issues. With more than 200 corporate members representing over 65,000 employees in 32 countries, LISA is an inclusive organization dedicated to enabling global business - the association to join when you're serious about international business. www.lisa.org

About IDEAlliance
IDEAlliance is a not-for-profit membership organization. The goal of IDEAlliance is to enable publishers and other information-driven enterprises to strategize, innovate, standardize and implement information technology solutions in an open and cooperative cross-industry environment. IDEAlliance provides the opportunity for those who create, produce, manage and deliver content to interface with those who develop the software tools to facilitate these functions. Learn more about IDEAlliance at www.idealliance.org.

Contact

Alison Rowles
(+41.32.821.3210)
alison@smp-m.com

The LISA Forum Asia - CHINA FOCUS 2004
Shanghai, China
Cypress Hotel
March 31-April 3, 2004