The Fourth China International Agricultural Products Fair is to open in Beijing on Monday with the theme "New countryside, new agriculture, new life," according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The fair will offer exhibits on agricultural products from all over the country, said Niu Dun, vice minister of the ministry.

To boost the cross-Straights cooperation and communication, agricultural institutions and high-tech enterprises from Taiwan will show their products and give examples of its countryside construction, Niu said.

The return capsule of the Shijian-8, China's first seed-breeding satellite, will be also on display, Niu said.

Some 59 enterprises from 17 countries including Japan, France, Britain, Russia, and Germany will attend the fair, which runs until Oct. 20th, said the ministry.

On previous fairs, more than 5,000 trading contracts were signed in worth 59 billion yuan (about US$7.38 billion), statistics from the ministry showed.

(Xinhua News Agency October 16, 2006)