Nearly 20 ambassadors to the United Nations from countries around the world visited the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination this morning.

Zhou Hanmin, deputy director general of the bureau, introduced them to the work involved in hosting World Expo 2010 Shanghai and gave details of the latest progress in preparations.

The ambassadors to the UN from Ghana, Tanzania, Senegal, Guatemala, Cuba and Honduras to the UN showed special interest in Zhou's introduction.

Zhou said 2010 will be the first time a developing country to host an Expo. The theme of World Expo 2010 Shanghai, "Better City, Better Life," will be a demonstration of the collective international wisdom on urbanization as a global concern for all human beings.

"World Expo 2010 Shanghai will provide a peaceful platform for dialogue, with the goal of meeting the challenges posed by urbanization," said Zhou.

So far, 128 countries and international organisations have confirmed their participation in the event. The ambassadors said they would be willing and happy to contribute to promoting the Expo.

The ambassadors from Ghana and Honduras said they would try to accelerate the pace of confirmation from their countries.

Jorge Skinner-Klee Arenales, the Guatemalan ambassador to the UN said China has shown a rapid economic growth in recent years and it was timely for China to host a World Expo.

"World Expo 2010 Shanghai is good for all of us as we are part of the human family and live in a global village," said Arenales. "We will work hand-in-hand and expect a successful Expo."