Commerce Secretary William M. Daley To Speak at Conference Highlighting Chinese Business and Technology.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 13, 1998--

China's Ambassador Li Zhaoxing to Make First Appearance in Chicago

ChinaOnline and Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) announce their first annual conference on China, "China in the Electronic Era," July 30 at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Among the featured keynote speakers at the day-long conference are U.S. Secretary of Commerce William M. Daley and, making his first trip to Chicago, China's Ambassador to the United States, Li Zhaoxing.

Coming on the heels of President Clinton's trip to China--the first by a U.S. president since 1989--this event is the only timely follow-up to the much-discussed presidential visit. The conference will feature morning speakers, a reception and luncheon, and afternoon workshops featuring a variety of topics and panelists.

The morning program includes Ambassador Li Zhaoxing discussing U.S.-Sino trade relations; Jeffrey E. Garten, dean of the Yale School ofManagement, presenting a 20-year overview of China's economy; Henry H. Perritt, Jr., dean of Chicago-Kent College of Law and vice president of the Illinois Institute of Technology's downtown campus; Lyric Hughes, publisher and CEO, ChinaOnline; David D. Hale, chief global economist, The Zurich Group, discussing China and the world economy; Nicholas Lardy, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who will chair an afternoon panel discussion on the future of American investments in China; and another panel discussion on how the information revolution is transforming China.

A luncheon and reception will follow, highlighted by an address by U.S. Commerce Secretary William M. Daley.

"China represents one-fourth of the world's population and is the fastest growing economy," said Commerce Secretary Daley. "As we head into the 21st century, our partnership with China must be strengthened by our continued engagement on many critical issues including market access, electronic commerce and rule of law."

The afternoon will feature workshops involving an array of panelists overseeing discussions on a variety of informative topics:

- Financial markets and the future of American investments in China; - How changes in the Chinese lifestyle affect consumer buying; - The human resource crisis in China; - Prospects for an improved legal environment; - Consumer distribution channels and inland development.

"China is `the' investment and trade opportunity for the 21st Century," said Dean Henry H. Perritt, Jr.. "In order to exploit this opportunity at reasonable risk, foreign enterprises and the Chinese must know about each others' expectations and legal customs and institutions. The July 30 conference represents a major commitment to that goal and symbolizes IIT's determination to be a leader in promoting Chinese-American cooperation through a rule of law and effective use of information technology."

This unique conference will be held July 30 at Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., Chicago, Illinois. Dean Henry H. Perritt, Jr.'s welcome address kicks off the day at 8:45 a.m., and a reception at 5:45 p.m. will close the event. Those interested in conference reservations should contact Chicago-Kent College of Law at [phone].

"The conference will be a very timely discussion of China in the context of the Asian economic crisis and President Clinton's recent initiatives to improve relations with China," said David D. Hale.

Chicago-Kent College of Law is home to the Global Law and Policy Initiative and is a key component of IIT's Institute of Science, Law and Technology. The Global Law and Policy Initiative provides a neutral forum for dialogue among academics, policymakers and business leaders about critical issues of global policy. The Institute for Science, Law and Technology was established as a joint venture of Chicago-Kent College of Law and other IIT academic units to evaluate emerging technologies and their impact on society. For more information about Chicago-Kent, visit the website at www.kentlaw.edu.

ChinaOnline is an information resource company that provides business intelligence, analysis and research about The People's Republic of China. ChinaOnline was formed by a investment from Ark Capital Management, a venture capital fund specializing in funding firms with high-growth potential owned by minorities and women.

For more information about ChinaOnline, visit the website at www.chinaonline.com, or call 312-335-9288, or fax [phone] for more information.

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