01/O5/1999
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中文新闻
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 Yunnan
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News Briefing Two Halls of Expo'99 Governor Li: Horti-Expo Propels Yunnan Development The '99 International Horticultural Exposition will serve as a major propellant to the social and economic development of its host, Yunnan Province in southwest China, Yunnan Governor Li Jiating said in Kunming. "The current horticultural show is the first world exposition ever held in a developing country. The central government of China has chosen Yunnan as the venue. This is really an opportunity in a lifetime to us," said Li in an interview. The governor said that the horticultural exposition has provided Yunnan, a secluded plateau province in deepest China, with a golden opportunity to make itself better known to the rest of the world, thus enabling the province to attract more foreign visitors and investment. The Expo '99 has drawn 95 participating countries and international organizations. More than 2,000 journalists from all over the world have gathered in Kunming, capital of Yunnan and the main exposition venue, to cover this six-month-long garden festival. The holding of the Kunming Expo has stimulated the province to step up its efforts to clean up the Dianchi Lake, China's sixth largest fresh water lake near Kunming. The lake has become one of the country's most seriously polluted lakes over the past two decades as a result of urbanization and industrialization. "Over the past five years and more, the central government and local governments in Yunnan have invested more than three billion yuan in the Dianchi cleanup project. Another 10 billion yuan are expected to be injected into the project in the next few years," noted Li. To prepare for the horticultural show, Li said, Yunnan Province and the city of Kunming have spent over 20 billion yuan on building the expo venue and upgrading infrastructure facilities. This has greatly helped boost domestic demand in Yunnan and provided an impetus to the local economic growth. Moreover, he said, this big spending will be paid off through the rapid growth of the local tourism sector. Some 10 million domestic and overseas tourists are expected to visit Yunnan for the horti-expo, and the expo venue in Kunming suburbs, which boasts rare plants and horticultural masterpieces across the world, will become a permanent tourist attraction in Yunnan. "Kunming owes much to the holding of the exposition in realizing its urban development plan several years ahead of schedule. The roads and flyovers once planned to be built by 2008 have been already accomplished now," added the governor. Yunnan Horticulture Expo Attracts Wide Interest The '99 Yunnan World Horticulture Exposition scheduled to run for 184 days from May 1 to October 31 in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, has attracted wide interest at home and abroad. The exposition, regarded as the final world fair of the century, has been hailed as the Olympics of the horticultural world, as 94 countries and international organizations will participate in the exposition. About 1,600 journalists from around the world are also anticipated, as well as more than 10 million visitors, according to Wang Ze, an official in charge of the reception of journalists attending the event. Wang said there are still more application forms flooding in, even though the registration of journalists officially ended on April 15. Five leaders of foreign countries have also been invited to attend the opening ceremony on May 1, including Hassan Gouled Aptidon, president of Djibouti, Sisavat Keobounphan, prime minister of Laos, Samdech Hun Sen, prime minister of Kampuchea, and Mohammed Zouheir Musharaqah, vice president of Syria. "Many foreign countries believe that attending the expo is a good opportunity to exhibit their traditional cultures and improve their images among the Chinese people," said He Xuan, a research fellow with the Economic Research Center of the Yunnan Provincial Government. He pointed out that the exposition is also a good chance for foreign countries to increase economic and technological cooperation with China. The exposition is the only one the China government has ever hosted that features an international horticultural exhibition, trade and technology exchanges, academic seminars on environmental protection, art performances and an eco-tourism program. About 65,000 volunteers will work at the exposition, and more than one million tickets already have been sold. The China government has invested more than 13 billion yuan for preparations for the exposition, and the city of Kunming has also spent two billion yuan improving its roads and streets and increase the greenery in the urban area. Now, Kunming's streets are decorated with five million flower pots and local people are showing a great passion for learning English in order to communicate with foreign visitors. Vice Premier Li Lanqing is chairmen of the organizing committee for the event which is being called-- Man and Nature: Marching to the 21st Century. Li Jiating, governor of Yunnan, said the exposition will help improve the province's reputation around the world, and bring about great opportunities for development and opening-up. With highly diversified climate and topography, Yunnan Province is home to more than 2,500 horticultural species, and is one of the major botanical gene banks for China and the world. |
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