Though the 2010 Shanghai World Exposition is still four years
away countries from all over the world have already started
preparing.
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 companies that have accepted invitations 29 are African,
six American, 18 European, 23 Asian and seven Oceanian. Eleven
international organizations have also accepted. And many other
countries and organizations are expected to be represented at the
Expo.
Representatives of 49 companies and six international
organizations that haven't yet confirmed their attendance at the
event were also present at yesterday's meeting which was held to
discuss preparations for the event.
Altogether 288 people representing 115 companies and 12
international organizations attended the two-day meeting. It 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
management and toilet facilities. Participants also asked questions
about how to organize their exhibits.
The 2010 event will be first time a country such as China has
hosted the World Expo. The event originated in Europe and has
generally been held in developed countries including England,
France and the United States. The decision to come to Shanghai
reflects "an emerging trend in the world which is the rise of
China," said Wu Jianmin, chairman of the Bureau of International
Expositions.
"The five most important facets of the World Expo are
exhibitions, education, exchanges, cooperation 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, is likely to 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,"
added Wu.
Dada Sanz, a representative from 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 range of topics including
society, economy, culture and technology many countries still
regard the event as opportunity to find potential business
partners.
"I think 85 percent 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.
(China Daily November 16, 2006)