Another 11 countries, regions and international organizations
have confirmed their participation in the Shanghai World Expo to be
held from May 1 to Oct. 31, 2010, said Wan Jifei, chairman of China
Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
The international community was responding actively to the Expo,
and the new participants would boost the total number to 169, Wan
said at a meeting on international trade exhibition.
The number is driving closer to Shanghai party chief Xi
Jinping's estimate in August that the number of participants would
reach 170 by the end of this year, and to 200 by the end of
2008.
China had seen a rapid development in the exhibition industry,
said Wan, adding that domestic exhibitions had been increasing by
16 percent annually from 2001 to 2005, and international
exhibitions by 19 percent.
(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2007)