China gets top billing at Germany tech show CeBit

I.T. goes east at the world’s largest tech show in Germany.

China takes centre stage at this year’s CeBit fair in Hanover, where the Asian giant will showcase over 600 companies.

It is the largest single country presentation ever seen at the fair, showing how Europe’s top economy wishes to cement ties with Beijing in the growing digital economy.

“Over many decades Germany and China have developed excellent economic relations,” said Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel. “We just met companies which have been successfully doing business in China for decades and we want to expand this partnership,” he said.

But not everyone was happy with China’s dominance. Amnesty International protested against the country’s treatment of activists during the opening ceremony on Sunday.

The connected world may be the fair’s theme, but the most hotly anticipated guest will talk about privacy, Edward Snowden is due to speak via videolink on Wednesday.