BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China will host an international fast food equipment exhibition on April 18 to attract foreign investment and upgrade equipment. Meanwhile, a symposium on fast food in the 21st century will be held during the exposition, with an aim of promoting its fast food industry. China's fast food industry reported a huge growth of more than 20 percent last year, with annual sales of 75 billion yuan (9 billion US dollars), according to the State Administration of Internal Trade. The sector has kept a double-digit growth for two consecutive years since 1998. Sales revenue accounts for over one-third of China's fast-growing food and beverage industry. In recent years, some newly emerged marketing patterns such as take-aways, franchise and food courts have significantly enriched the fast food sector and provided considerable working opportunities for lay-off workers and job hunters, according to a story in Beijing Review. However, the development of Chinese fast food lags behind its Western counterpart in terms of variety, scale and modern equipment, experts in the industry of Chinese fast food industry said. The exposition and symposium on fast food equipment will benefit the growth of fast food services in the coming century, the experts said.