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Ninetowns Forms Strategic Partnership with Thomas Publishing Company


BEIJING, China, May 3 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Ninetowns Internet Technology

Group Company Limited (Nasdaq: NINE), China's leading provider of online

solutions for international trade, today announces that it has entered into a

strategic partnership with Thomas Publishing Company, LLC's subsidiary Thomas

Industrial Network, Inc. ("Thomas"), developer of catalog publishing solutions

for industrial manufacturers, service providers, and distributors. Following

Ninetowns' recent vertical search engine acquisition, this new partnership

with Thomas is another synergistic step in the development of Ninetowns'

business-to-business ("B2B") vertical search strategy, and enhancement of our

position to become the leading B2B search and service provider in the

international trade marketplace.

This strategic partnership is expected to enable manufacturers and service

businesses in China to publish detailed product and service information on

Ninetowns' developing B2B search and service platforms. Users can expect to

access this information via customized, searchable catalogs online, allowing

these businesses to compete more effectively in the global market across

numerous industry categories, as well as significantly increasing the amount

of qualified search inquiries. The catalog publishing technology developed by

Thomas and licensed by Ninetowns has already been deployed by many customers

in the United States, and combines sophisticated catalog display and search

capabilities that can easily be manipulated by individual customers while

generating significant online marketing advantages.

Ninetowns' Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Shuang Wang commented, "This

partnership builds on Ninetown's foundation of focused vertical search

technology gained through our recent acquisition, and our extensive experience

in providing international trade e-filing services. The synergies from our

partnership with Thomas provide us with a clear competitive advantage in the

B2B market and will enable us to expand our future service offerings for our

users. We look forward to capitalizing on the new opportunity presented by

the partnership with Thomas, while remaining committed to our core strategy of

leveraging our dominant market position and customer base, maintaining the

value of our B2G offerings and generating new revenue streams through our

next-generation B2B search platform."

Thomas' VP of Business Development, Erik Mikisch said, "Chinese

manufacturers, like many U.S. companies, have not fully taken advantage of

available technology to effectively market online to prospects and customers

worldwide. For these Chinese companies to grow, it is critical to have

detailed and meaningful information available to engage and connect with

potential buyers 24/7."

About Thomas Publishing Company and Thomas Industrial Network

Thomas Industrial Network, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Thomas

Publishing Company, LLC. For over a century, Thomas Publishing has been

dedicated to providing industrial buyers and engineers with the product,

service and supplier information they need to make informed purchasing

decisions. This information was provided in print and, since 1995, on the

Internet. Using best practices in industrial website development, Thomas

creates websites for industrial companies with searchable online catalogs, e-

commerce capabilities, and downloadable CAD drawings. Thomas also publishes

the Internet's leading vertical destination sites for buyers of industrial

products and services. Several million visitors each month on the various

Thomas websites, including http://ThomasNet.com, represent decision-makers

from companies of all sizes, Fortune 500 companies, the government, and the

military.

About Ninetowns Internet Technology Group Company Limited

Ninetowns (Nasdaq: NINE) is the leading provider of online solutions for

international trade, with its key services in automating import/export e-

filing, as well as in providing effective and efficient business-to-business

search. Ninetowns has been listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange since December

2004 under the symbol "NINE". More information can be found at

http://www.ninetowns.com/english

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release include forward-looking

statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform

Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use

of forward-looking terminology, such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend,"

"estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "project" or "continue" or the negative

thereof or other similar words. All forward-looking statements involve risks

and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, customer acceptance and

market share gains, competition from companies that have greater financial

resources; introduction of new products into the marketplace by competitors;

successful product development; dependence on significant customers; the

ability to recruit and retain quality employees as the Company grows; and

economic and political conditions globally. Actual results may differ

materially from those discussed in, or implied by, the forward-looking

statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this

release and the Company assumes no duty to update them to reflect new,

changing or unanticipated events or circumstances.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Helen Wu or Ms. Lisa Zheng

Investor Relations

Ninetowns Internet Technology Group Company

(+86-10) 6588-2256

ir@ninetowns.com

Investor Relations (US):

Mahmoud Siddig, Director

Taylor Rafferty

+1 (212) 889-4350

ninetowns@taylor-rafferty.com

Investor Relations (HK):

David Dambro, Director

Taylor Rafferty

+852 2167 2006

ninetowns@taylor-rafferty.com

Source: Ninetowns Internet Technology Group Company Limited
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