Preparations under way for 2010 World Expo

Though the 2010 Shanghai World Exposition is still four years away, countries from all over the world have already started preparatory work.

As of yesterday, 94 countries and international organizations had officially accepted invitations sent by Premier Wen Jiabao in March, confirming their participation in the 2010 expo, said Hua Junduo, commissioner-general of Expo 2010 Shanghai.

So far 12 countries have appointed commissioners-general; 24 have designated bodies to lead their projects and other responsible authorities; and 16 have sent technical teams to China to work with the organizers on a wide range of issues relating to their participation, said Hua.

He made these comments yesterday in Shanghai at the First Participants Meeting for the World Exposition Shanghai China 2010.

Of the countries that have accepted invitations, 29 are African countries, six are American countries, 18 are European countries, 23 are Asian countries and seven are Oceanian countries. Eleven international organizations have also accepted.

Many other countries and organizations are expected to be represented at the exposition.

Representatives of 49 countries and six international organizations that have not yet confirmed their attendance at the expo were also present at the meeting yesterday. The meeting was aimed at discussing preparations for the event.

Altogether, 288 people representing 115 countries and 12 international organizations attended the two-day meeting, which ended yesterday.

Hua said the strong attendance was "a good omen of success for an event that is still four years away."

Among the issues discussed at the meeting were the construction of pavilions, traffic solutions and toilet facilities.

Participants in the meeting also asked questions about how to organize their exhibits.

The 2010 event will mark first time that a country like China has hosted the World Expo. The event originated in Europe and has generally been held in developed countries like England, France and the United States. The decision to hold it in Shanghai reflects "an emerging trend in the world, which is the rise of China," said Wu Jianmin, chairman of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE).

"The five most important facets of the World Expo are exhibitions, education, exchanges, co-operation and innovation. These are eternal and will bring people together regardless of face, race and nationality," Wu said during his opening speech at the meeting.

A special advisory committee, composed of renowned experts in arranging exhibitions, will probably be set up to offer advice to the organizers of Shanghai's expo, Wu said yesterday.

"Having access to good ideas will be crucial to hosting a good World Expo," said Wu.

Dada Sanz, a representative of Spain, said she expected the expo to be a forum for exchanges between her country and China.

"The World Expo provides an excellent chance for Spain to look at how fast China, especially Shanghai, is developing, and on the other hand the event gives Chinese people an opportunity to get access to Spain," she said.

Though the World Expo covers a broad array of topics, including society, economy, culture and technology, many countries still regard the event as opportunity to find potential business partners.

"I think 85 per cent of the participants hope to find investment opportunities by participating in what will probably be the largest World Expo in history," said Niila Taapopi, a representative from Namibia.

"Developing countries may hope to attract investment from rich countries, while developed countries also hope to find a good place to invest their money," Taapopi added.

Source: China Daily