Shanghai Competent to Host 2010 World Expo

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, March 08, 2002

Shanghai Competent to Host 2010 World Expo

Shanghai is now preparing for the forthcoming inspection of the International Expositions Bureau ( IEB). The IEB will decide by the end of this year which city will host the World Expo 2010. China, which submitted the application to hold the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai in May last year, was the first among six countries to put formally submit its application.

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Shanghai has strong desire to hold World Expo

Shanghai is now preparing for the forthcoming inspection of the International Expositions Bureau ( IEB). The IEB will decide by the end of this year which city will host the World Expo 2010.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin said in the application letter to the IEB that China, a country with a population of 1.3 billion and long-standing culture, has a strong desire to hold the World Expo.

Jiang also said it will help to expand the IEB's influence and increase international exchanges if Shanghai hosts the event.

Great significance to bid for World Expo

China, which submitted the application to hold the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai in May last year, was the first among six countries to put formally submit its application.

Shanghai's Mayor Chen Liangyu said, "Shanghai's bid for the World Expo is as important as one of China's state strategies."

"If Shanghai wins the bid, it will be of great significance to other domestic and even the global exhibitions," said Chen Liangyu.

"With support from the whole country, Shanghai has full confidence in its bid," Chen said.

Shanghai's dramatic development

"In the past decade, Shanghai has made great progress in developing its economy, strengthening its infrastructure constructions and adjusting industrial structures. Thus, Shanghai is thoroughly capable of holding the World Expo," Chen added.

Last year, the average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in the city was 4,500 U.S. dollars.

The '99 Fortune Global Forum and the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) informal leadership meeting of 2001 were successfully held in Shanghai and increased the city's popularity worldwide.

William Keller, president of the Shanghai Roche Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd., was chosen, on behalf of foreigners in the city, to address the IEB members on his impression of and fondness for Shanghai on November 30, 2001.

Keller said, "When I started my business in Shanghai in 1991, I built my factory on a piece of deserted farmland. Now, it has grown into a large company with an annual revenue of 300 million U. S. dollars and has eight subsidiary companies and 2,000 employees. "

The rapid changes in Shanghai have astounded Keller.

He said it was hard for him to find a sports field or a picnic ground near his house when he first came to Shanghai. Now, Shanghai has many green areas. According to the municipal government plan, by 2005 any city resident will be able find an open and green space within 500 meters of his house

At the beginning of this year, Shanghai presented a comprehensive development program to the public. It covers areas along the bank of the Huangpujiang River -- the city's "mother river", a stretch of which has already been selected as the future site for the 2010 World Expo.

The program will change the appearance of the river's bank districts and will cover a 1,330-hectare area which is now mainly composed of discarded warehouses, wharves and factories.

Massive support for Shanghai's bid

According to an official survey covering 50 cities across China, 94.4 percent of people surveyed support China's bid for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, 92.6 percent consider that Shanghai is competent to hold a World Expo, while 78.6 percent believe that Shanghai will win the bid.

The World Expo has a history of over 150 years and among all expositions is called "the Olympic Games" in the fields of economy and culture as well as in science and technology" due to the many economic and social benefits it brings.

World Expositions

World Expositions are defined by the Bureau international des expositions / International bureau of expositions ( B.I.E ) as a forum for the exchange of information which fosters better understanding amongst people. Each nation is invited to share its ideas and to demonstrate the progress it has achieved on a theme determined by the exposition organizer.

The B.I.E., a Paris-based organization of 88 member nations, regulates the frequency and quality of World expositions.

China Supports Shanghai in Bidding for World Expo 2010

The Chinese government gives full support to Shanghai in its bidding to host the World Exposition 2010, Chinese Ambassador to France Wu Jianmin said in December, 2001.

Wu made the remarks at the general assembly of the Bureau on International Exposition (BIE), at which cities from six countries presented their candidatures for the universal event. "It's a formal engagement that my government has taken...It will give full support to the municipality of Shanghai in its efforts in making World Expo 2010 a full success," said the ambassador.>>details

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