Sun Jiarong, director of the sci-tech development & technology trading bureau of Shanghai Foreign Economic Relation & Trade Commission, revealed today that Shanghai's software industry recorded 30.2 billion yuan (US$3.72 billion) revenue last year, and its software export amounted to US$476 million, up 50% and 80% respectively over that of 2003. At present Shanghai is obviously taking the lead in China's software industry.

　　Sun said that with increasingly apparent trend of international division of labor in the software industry, China has witnessed rapid growth in its software outsourcing business in recent years. Its software export totaled US$2.6 billion last year, up 30% over a year earlier. In spite of speedy growth, China's software industry has merely gained a small proportion of 3% in the international market. Sun quoted the comment of the Ministry of Commerce that "software outsourcing has not fully played its role in boosting China's national economy."

　　According to Sun, the software industry plays an indispensable role in upgrading Shanghai's information industry. It is the core of the city's information industry and has a bearing on local economy and the process of social informatization. In an effort to build an international software outsourcing value center and enhance the international fame of its software industry, Shanghai will hold 2005 Shanghai Global IT Outsourcing Summit on Nov 10. The summit will probe deeply into some hotspot issues concerning the current situation and trend of international IT outsourcing, measures to promote development of software industry and application, and international IT exchange and cooperation.