The 2011 China (Langfang) International Economic & Trade Fair will open on May 18 in Langfang, Hebei province.

The four-day event will offer a platform for Langfang and adjacent cities to attract investments from home and abroad, Wang Aimin, mayor of Langfang said at a press conference Tuesday.

Langfang will also take this opportunity to bolster its exhibition industry, said the mayor.

Hebei ranks the sixth among provinces on the Chinese mainland in terms of GDP, said Wang Zhixin, director of Hebei Provincial Department of Commerce.

The province expects its GDP growth to average 8.5 percent during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) and eyes an urbanization rate of over 54 percent, according to Wang.