Shanghai's bid for the 2010 World Expo is gaining support from
foreigners working and living in the city.
Eva Liao, trade officer of the economic and commercial office of
the Spanish Consulate, said the Expo would open new possibilities
for Shanghai.
Spain is cooperating with Shanghai by offering its successful
experience of holding a World Expo, especially in receiving and
dealing with tourists.
"It was really dramatic in 1992 when Spain simultaneously held the
Olympic Games and World Expo in Barcelona and Seville respectively.
So we hope that after Beijing winning the 2008 Olympic Games,
Shanghai will also succeed in its Expo bid," said Liao.
Liao recalled that few Chinese could speak English and the booths
of Chinese enterprises looked simple and crude when she came to
Shanghai for an exhibition several years ago.
Now, quite a few Shanghai residents can speak English to some
extent and exhibitions are all endowed with advanced scientific
technologies.
"Modernity, novelty, comfort, safety and vitality are harmoniously
blended in Shanghai," said Liao. The increasing number of cars has
led to traffic congestion in Shanghai. To solve the problem, the
city will build 10 new rail lines with a total length of 212
kilometers, increasing the daily passenger transport capacity from
900,000 to 3.2 million people.
In
addition, Shanghai's Pudong International Airport will soon start
its second phase of construction, which will make it a navigation
hub in the Asia-Pacific region.
Miguel A.Velloso, consul general of Argentina, also believes
Shanghai is the right city for the 2010 World Expo after Argentina
abandoned its bid.
Velloso considered Shanghai competent to hold the exposition after
a series of important international conferences, including the APEC
meetings and Fortune Forum, helped the city accumulate experience
and improve infrastructure and service systems.
"If Shanghai wins the bid, it will be inspiring to all developing
countries, since the previous 40 expositions were all held in
developed countries," said Velloso.
Shanghai's growth from a small fishing village to today's
international metropolis as well as its bid theme --"Better City,
Better Life"--were both inspiring to other developing countries in
terms of city building, Velloso said.
According to the Shanghai bid committee, if successful, China will
provide developing countries taking part in the Expo with aid in
place rental, design and construction of exhibition halls, exhibit
transportation and accommodation for staff. Velloso also pointed
out that the exposition would offer a good opportunity to introduce
China to the world.
"Chinese and Argentineans didn't know each other well before.
However, in the one and a half years since Argentina established a
consulate in China, we have received 1,500 requests from domestic
enterprises for cooperation with Chinese counterparts," said
Velloso.
Statistics show that if Shanghai wins the host right of the World
Expo 2010,it will attract at least 60 million visitors and direct
investment of three billion US dollars.
Other investment in other fields such as traffic, commerce and the
reconstruction of old districts will be five to 10 times the cost
for holding the expo.
"Professional services in financing, tourism, management and law
needed in the World Expo will also bring both domestic and overseas
companies great business opportunities," said Velloso.
Presenting the application report to the International Expositions
Bureau on January 30, 2002, China was the first country to formally
mount its bid. With Argentina out of the running, the final contest
will be among China, Russia, the Republic of Korea, Mexico and
Poland.
(eastday.com July 1,
2002)