Hangzhou signs an agreement to host the 24th China International Software Expo at the opening ceremony of the third Hangzhou International Day on Sept 5. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, will host the 24th China International Software Expo, which will start on Nov 12 at the Whitehorse Lake International Exhibition Center.

The expo has been held in Beijing for the past 23 years and focuses on technology displays, product releases, and matchmaking. This is the first year the event has been held outside Beijing.

According to the organizing committee, this year's expo will be held both online and offline and focuses on software development and digital transformation. It will feature seven series of events, including summit forums, matchmaking meetings, software night, and cross-border video conferences.

Why Hangzhou

In 2014, Hangzhou was honored as "China's Software City" by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. In 2017, the ministry teamed up with the provincial government of Zhejiang and the municipal government of Hangzhou to develop the city into an international investment hub for the software industry. In recent years, the software industry has made up over 70 percent of the city's digital economy.

According to local authorities, the 24th China International Software Expo will help Hangzhou attract software unicorns and optimize its industrial structure.