China's first Global Tech Advocates Festival on the way

Russ Shaw, the founder of Global Tech Advocates, has long championed the Chinese technology sector as one to watch and predicted that the world's second-largest economy will become a significant tech leader.

In October, he will lead a delegation of business leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors to the first Global Tech Advocates Festival to be held in Shanghai and Beijing.

"The tech sector in China has got a real vibrancy to it; it's really dynamic. Great leaders and investors," Shaw said, adding that, while there has been a lot of positive and negative "noise" about China, he wants the delegation to meet and hear from their Chinese counterparts so members can find out more about the rise of China's tech sector and "form their own opinion".

Global Tech Advocates is an umbrella organization that connects international tech hubs and advocate group throughout the world.

Shaw is also the founder of Tech London Advocates. The collective of organizations around the world include ones in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Paris, and Singapore.

"China is becoming such an important part of the global tech ecosystem … we need to find a way to better connect. So, people should come to see for themselves, make their own informed decisions, building relationships, connections and also educate and inform," Shaw said.

The weeklong event will begin in Shanghai with panel meetings and talks as well as tours to innovation districts. The festival will also head to Beijing where visiting business leaders will be shown what the tech industry has to offer and hear about potential business opportunities.

"I hope it's also a learning experience for the people we are going to meet in Shanghai and Beijing, who hopefully want to learn more about what is going on beyond China," he said. "The technology sector is the fastest-growing sector around the world and China should be integrated into that global ecosystem."

During the Global Tech Advocates Festival, Shaw said those visiting will be encouraged to pay attention to China's fintech development and the digital payment sector, which features companies including Alipay and WeChat.

"China leads the world on mobile platforms in terms of mobile payments and banking," he said.

He also wants people to look carefully at advanced manufacturing, healthcare and health tech, and other areas.