Expo A Driving Force for China's Urbanization

Anchor: With the theme of "Better City, Better Life," the 2010 Shanghai Expo has aimed to share experiences to make cities better living places. Wan Jifei, Executive Director of the Expo, talks about the impacts that this historical event has brought to China's fast urbanization process.

Chen Zhe has the story.

From bidding for the Expo, organizing it to its ending, Wan Jifei has been a witness and a participant.

"The number of visitors has exceeded 70 million. The whole process has been smooth and safe. The total investment of the Expo has been 28.6 billion yuan. It has made remarkable profit considering ticket sales, sales of licensed products, sponsorship income and re-development of the Expo site, not to mention it has upgraded the infrastructure in Shanghai."

Wan Jifei says the Expo received more than one hundred world leaders and has enhanced China's international influence.

More importantly, China has found in the Expo the gap between itself and developed regions.
He says by bringing the world's best urban practices to China and through exchanges in culture, science and technology and city development, the Expo has given China ideas on how to promote the quality of urban life.

"Many Chinese cities have organized trips to the Expo to learn experiences in city construction, management and the development of new energy. They signed cooperation agreements with cities such as Madrid and Hamburg. District officials in Shanghai visited the Taipei Pavilion to learn their experience in garbage disposal. China has just begun to realize the importance of low-rent housing. In the Expo's Urban Best Practice Area, some pavilions have displayed their low-rent housing and welfare housing practices."

Wan Jifei says during the Expo, China showcased both its achievements and its shortcomings.

"At the Expo, there were Chinese people throwing garbage on the roads and jumping the queue. Some healthy people skipped queues in wheelchairs. Foreign visitors have also experienced China's environmental pollution and traffic congestion. Some of them visited not only Shanghai but also some underdeveloped areas of China. China cannot dodge the problems. Instead, it will solve them in an open manner."

Wan Jifei says China has made the most of the Expo and will put into practice what it has learned from other countries to make the country a sustainable and better place.

For CRI, I'm Chen Zhe.