150 nations, int'l organizations confirm participation in Shanghai World Expo

The Shanghai World Expo's international recruitment is progressing at lightning speed - the event already has 150 confirmed guests, and there are still 1,052 days left until the opening. Sweden was the 150th nation to notify China of its official participation in the 2010 Expo.

In the fourteen months after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sent out invitations to the international community in March of last year, the Shanghai World Expo has received one confirmation of participation every three days from countries around the world. Among the 150 registered participants, 133 are sovereign nations: 42 are African nations, 34 are Asian nations, 33 are European nations, 15 are American nations, and 9 are from Oceania. The other seventeen participants consist of international organizations. Some of these participants previously did not have any relations with China; while for others, this will be the first time they partake in the World Expo.

The Chinese government has promised to undertake the task of inviting 200 countries and organizations to take part in the Shanghai World Expo, making the 2010 Expo the expo with the most international participants since its premiere in 1851. The goal of this expo is to ensure the participation of 170 countries and organizations, a close follow-up to the 2000 Germany Hanoi Expo which made history with a record of 172 official participants.

By People's Daily Online