Giving all out support

Zhejiang will also use valuable opportunity to develop

HANGZHOU - Zhejiang province, which is adjacent to the host city for the Expo 2010 Shanghai, will fully support the event and share the valuable opportunity to develop itself, a provincial official has said.

According to statistics from the Shanghai World Expo Coordination Bureau, the Expo will attract more than $3 billion of direct investment and related investment in other areas will reach $15 billion to $30 billion. An expected 70 million people worldwide will visit the area.

"The Expo provides an important opportunity to develop an open regional economy in Zhejiang province," said Chen Rufang, deputy director-general of Zhejiang's department of commerce.

The Expo is regarded as a barometer of the city's future development in infrastructure, science and technology, as well as its economic transformation.

Three of the six forums during the Expo themed harmonious city and livable life, information and communication technologies and urban development, and economic transformations and urban-rural relations will be held in Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Shaoxing cities.

As part of the Expo Garden, a series of the newly developing industries, such as microelectronics and car manufacturing, will see great opportunities for enterprises in Zhejiang.

Modern service industries in Zhejiang, such as tourism, commercial conferences and exhibitions, finance and information will also have unprecedented opportunity, as the World Expo will bring great demand to the sector.

"Zhejiang must grasp the opportunity to promote its development of industry and services to achieve more economic benefits," Chen said.

Besides economic development, the Expo has promoted the integration of nearby cities. The construction of highway networks helps to shape an obstacle-free transportation zone in the Yangtze River Area to share common tourism resources, services and communication systems.

"Thanks to its superior geographic location, being close to Shanghai, Zhejiang will learn more experiences from other global cities in urban transportation and the construction of a livable city," Chen said.

The Zhejiang Organizing Committee for Expo 2010 Shanghai is officially responsible for security, tourism promotion and the hosting of conferences and forums in Zhejiang.

Cities in Zhejiang also have the responsibility of ensuring security for all visitors entering Shanghai via the province. So far, 200 million yuan ($29 million) have been invested in high-tech security equipment.

"The advanced equipment will increase the efficiency of security checks and help shorten the waiting time for visitors," said Wang Huizhong, chief of the provincial department of public security.

CHINA DAILY

(China Daily 05/01/2010 page8)