Speech by Gao Yan at the press conference

                                                        

April 24, 2006

By Mme. Gao Yan

Member of the National Organizing Committee for the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai, China,

Vice Chairperson of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT)

Dear friends from the media,

Good Morning.

Mr. Yang Xiong, member of the National Organizing Committee for the Expo 2010 Shanghai, Executive Deputy Director of the Executive Committee for the Expo 2010 Shanghai, and Vice Mayor of Shanghai Municipal Government has just briefed you on the details of preparation work for the Expo. Now, I’d like to introduce briefly on the preparation work at the level of the Organizing Committee.

I.                   Great importance attached by Chinese government to the preparation work

It has been 155 years for world expositions since its début in 1851. Expo 2010 Shanghai in China is the first registered world exposition to be held in a developing country. It has attracted wide attention from international community. Bidding and holding Expo 2010 Shanghai is a sovereign action of the country. Chinese government has attached great importance by including Expo 2010 Shanghai in the 11th Five-Year Plan and establishing corresponding organizational mechanism:

1.       The National Organizing Committee was established and chaired by Mme. Wu Yi, Vice Premier of the State Council. The Organizing Committee consists of 26 concerned ministries and departments as well as Shanghai Municipal Government. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Shanghai Municipal Government, and CCPIT are Deputy Directors of the Organizing Committee. CCPIT and the Liaison Office of the Organizing Committee are responsible for everyday coordination and communication;

2.       An Executive Committee was established and chaired by Mr. Chen Liangyu, Secretary of CPC Shanghai, with Mr. Han Zheng, Mayor of Shanghai and Mr. Wan Jifei, Chairman of CCPIT as Executive Directors, and 42 related institutions from Shanghai as members. The Shanghai Bureau for the World Expo Coordination is set up under the Executive Committee to carry out various concrete work;

3.       Ambassador Hua Junduo was appointed Commissioner General of China for Expo 2010 Shanghai, representing Chinese government in dealing with affairs relating to the Expo.

Since the establishment of the Organizing Committee, three plenary sessions have been held. Mme. Wu Yi presided over these sessions and gave instructions on work arrangement for different stages of the preparation.

  II.                  Progress in Preparation of Expo 2010 Shanghai

Led by the Organizing Committee, member organs have proactively pushed forward the preparation work in drafting the Application for Registration to BIE, theme development, participant and investment recruiting, promotion activities, policy back-up, technical support as well as legal insurance.

1.       Official invitations sent out to the international community and positive feedbacks received

In the first stage of preparation, member organs laid priority on the drafting of the Application for Registration to BIE. The Application for Registration was submitted by Chinese government to the Bureau of International Exposition, and was approved on 1st December 2005. The approval of the Application for Registration marks the completion of registration procedures for Expo 2010 Shanghai in accordance with the provisions of BIE. China has thereon taken a full stride for the preparation work.

An international participant recruitment coordinating mechanism is established under the leadership of the Organizing Committee. Chinese government has sent out official invitations of participation, signed respectively by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, to 166 countries and 50 international organizations in accordance with provisions of BIE and practice of past world expositions. Many governments and international organizations have responded positively to the invitation, some of which have officially confirmed to participate in Expo 2010 Shanghai. Vice Mayor Yang Xiong has just announced the list of countries and international organizations that have confirmed their participation.

2.       Mobilizing all sectors of the country for the preparation of Expo 2010 Shanghai

Expo 2010 Shanghai is officially organized by the Chinese government, and undertaken by Shanghai Municipal Government. It requires the involvement of all the regions, departments and social circles of the country.

According to the Application for Registration to BIE, the Chinese government will build the Chinese pavilion and theme pavilions at the Expo. We will gather wisdom from all walks of life in designing and building of the Chinese pavilion and theme pavilions, to enable them to highlight the Expo 2010 Shanghai.

All Chinese provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, enterprises and civil organizations are important resources for Expo 2010 Shanghai. Under the leadership of the State Council, they will contribute to Expo 2010 Shanghai with specialized forums, traditional custom celebrations, international cultural exchanges, folk arts and cultural programs, entertainment events, as well as display of latest achievements in the harmonious development of economy, science and technology, and bio-sociology.

Chinese and international experts have played an important role in the preparation work. Shanghai Municipal Government has formed a team of general planning experts and a team of general layout experts. The Organizing Committee has also formed a team of experts for thematic development to ensure professional implementation of the preparation work.

3.       Providing legal and policy guarantee for preparation work of Expo 2010 Shanghai

a). Policy support. The related national departments have made and implemented a series of favorable financial and taxation policies for Expo 2010 Shanghai. They will also research and develop a series of measures to enhance efficiency of customs clearance of personnel and goods during Expo 2010 Shanghai so that participants and visitors to the Expo enjoy maximum convenience.

b). Science and technological support. Ministry of Science and Technology, and Shanghai Municipal Government established a leading team for “Expo Science and Technology Action Plan” and published the Expo Science and Technology Action Plan.

c). Legislative guarantee. Chinese government attaches great importance to the protection of the intellectual property rights. The State Council has issued the Regulations on the Protection of the World Exposition Visual Identities. The State Administration for Industry and Commerce issued Protocol on Record Registration for World Exposition Visual Identities and has begun to accept record registration applications.

Other member institutions including the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Land and Resources, Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Railway and the General Administration of Civil Aviation have also issued a number of specific regulations and legal documents that forcefully support the planning of expo venue, relocation and construction of infrastructure.

4.       Proactively promoting Expo 2010 Shanghai, enhancing public awareness.

Related members of the Organizing Committee have made the Promotion Plan of Expo 2010 Shanghai in Preparation Stage. The preparation work received plenty of media coverage from both China and overseas. The strong support from the media has contributed substantially to the enhancement of public awareness of Expo 2010 Shanghai. We warmly welcome friends from the media to visit Shanghai and report more on Expo 2010 Shanghai and our preparation work.

Thank you!