The public relations industry in China has maintained an annual growth rate of more than 30 percent over the past two years thanks to China's rapid economic growth and growing exchanges with foreign countries, a senior Chinese PR professional said here Friday.

"As part of the modern administration concept China begins to embrace, PR is playing an increasingly important role in China today," said Li Daoyu, head of the China International Public Relations Association, at the China International Public Relations Congress 2006.

A survey of the association reveals that the annual volume of China's PR business reached 6 billion yuan (about 750 million U.S. dollars) in 2005, up 33.3 percent over the previous year. However, it's still a long way behind the market volume of more than 10 billion dollars in the United States and the UK.

Industrial insiders say the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing will provide a tremendous opportunity for China's PR business to make a breakthrough in its development.

The three-day congress, sponsored by the association, will discuss development trends of the PR business, international cooperation and sustainable development of PR business in China.

More than 300 people, including Chinese government officials and business leaders and PR professionals from China and abroad attended the congress.

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