MORE than 300 overseas institutional investors are seeking opportunities to finance smaller businesses in China, eying their rapid growth and strong potential.

They will hold direct talks with more than 100 Chinese enterprises during the Halter Financial Summit on April 7 and visit selected companies in the Bohai Gulf, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta after the summit.

About 70 participating Chinese companies have already been listed on the foreign market and another 30 companies are fast-growing private firms from seven key industries ??? consumer products, automobiles, renewable energy, farming and food processing, medical care, new digital media and education.

China is backing smaller businesses by encouraging private equity investors and opening a new start-up board to reduce heavy reliance on stimulus spending.

"The rapid growth and vast potential of China's small and medium-sized enterprises has been at the focus of the global capital markets for some time now, which is why we chose Shanghai as the location for the Halter Financial Summit," said Tim Halter, founder and chairman of the summit organizer Halter Financial Group.

The summit consists of a one-day enterprise presentation and a two-day international financial forum. More than 40 financial experts, including former US President George W. Bush, will discuss changes in China.