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Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
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Uniting in common purpose
January 27, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
IN my eyes, World Expo 2010 Shanghai will be an expression of our common resolution: pooling our wisdom and efforts to jointly tackle the unprecedented challenges in human history.
These challenges have come, first of all, from the constant acceleration of pace in urban development, the growing shortage of natural resources, and the abnormal development of climate which will pose a threat to all living on the Earth in the near future. We also face economic challenges. The financial crisis has shaken the foundations of the global economy and turned its reshuffle into a pressing urgency.
Seeing the various chronic and persistent problems in the 21st century, World Expo 2010 Shanghai has chosen the theme "Better City, Better Life" to underline its courage and resolution. Symbolizing human imagination and creativity, it will guide the economy toward a direction of fairer and more coordinated development.
Standing in the Expo Park are the pavilions of the participating countries and organizations, and the Urban Best Practice Area, which is the first of its kind in the history of the World Expo. China has designed these in the hope of bringing the various countries even closer to create a world of greater stability and balance.
I have had the pleasure to visit China and Shanghai several times, and have been amazed by the social progress the city has achieved, the vigor it has been releasing and the can-do enthusiasm its people have demonstrated. Every time I visited Shanghai, I would feel as if seeing an old friend. This is a city that makes me feel just like a fish in water. When the World Expo raises its curtain in May, China will once again catch the eye of the whole world - an eye of not only respect and friendship, but also curiosity.
As the president of Great Rhone-Alpes, I am very glad and proud that our region has formed a sisterly tie with Shanghai. Our region has an area equivalent to that of Switzerland and a population equivalent to that of Denmark. Enjoying a leading position among all areas in the European Union, Rhone-Alpes looks to the European continent and the Mediterranean Basin with an open mind. Over the past 25 years, Rhone-Alpes and Shanghai have gone forward hand in hand, just like intimate sisters. We take it as a great honor for the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination to have accepted our participation application because through participation, we will fulfill our pledge and determination to do our bit for the creation of a better world.
Our pavilion will center on innovative eco-friendly buildings. Our companies and research centers have already plunged into action, and will bring with them new materials and new technologies. Also, we will also demonstrate the vigor and charm of our region through the medium of culture and the platform of art performances.
This global pageant to be hosted by China will also provide us with an opportunity to learn because the European continent will also open its arms to greet the World Expo in 2015. The next World Expo will be hosted in Lombardy, an Italian region and another important partner of our region. Including Baden-Wurttemberg in Germany and Catalonia in Spain, we are the "four engines of Europe."
To conclude, I would like to wish World Expo 2010 Shanghai a great success and extend, on behalf of my fellow residents in Rhone-Alpes, our friendly greetings to our Chinese friends.
These challenges have come, first of all, from the constant acceleration of pace in urban development, the growing shortage of natural resources, and the abnormal development of climate which will pose a threat to all living on the Earth in the near future. We also face economic challenges. The financial crisis has shaken the foundations of the global economy and turned its reshuffle into a pressing urgency.
Seeing the various chronic and persistent problems in the 21st century, World Expo 2010 Shanghai has chosen the theme "Better City, Better Life" to underline its courage and resolution. Symbolizing human imagination and creativity, it will guide the economy toward a direction of fairer and more coordinated development.
Standing in the Expo Park are the pavilions of the participating countries and organizations, and the Urban Best Practice Area, which is the first of its kind in the history of the World Expo. China has designed these in the hope of bringing the various countries even closer to create a world of greater stability and balance.
I have had the pleasure to visit China and Shanghai several times, and have been amazed by the social progress the city has achieved, the vigor it has been releasing and the can-do enthusiasm its people have demonstrated. Every time I visited Shanghai, I would feel as if seeing an old friend. This is a city that makes me feel just like a fish in water. When the World Expo raises its curtain in May, China will once again catch the eye of the whole world - an eye of not only respect and friendship, but also curiosity.
As the president of Great Rhone-Alpes, I am very glad and proud that our region has formed a sisterly tie with Shanghai. Our region has an area equivalent to that of Switzerland and a population equivalent to that of Denmark. Enjoying a leading position among all areas in the European Union, Rhone-Alpes looks to the European continent and the Mediterranean Basin with an open mind. Over the past 25 years, Rhone-Alpes and Shanghai have gone forward hand in hand, just like intimate sisters. We take it as a great honor for the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination to have accepted our participation application because through participation, we will fulfill our pledge and determination to do our bit for the creation of a better world.
Our pavilion will center on innovative eco-friendly buildings. Our companies and research centers have already plunged into action, and will bring with them new materials and new technologies. Also, we will also demonstrate the vigor and charm of our region through the medium of culture and the platform of art performances.
This global pageant to be hosted by China will also provide us with an opportunity to learn because the European continent will also open its arms to greet the World Expo in 2015. The next World Expo will be hosted in Lombardy, an Italian region and another important partner of our region. Including Baden-Wurttemberg in Germany and Catalonia in Spain, we are the "four engines of Europe."
To conclude, I would like to wish World Expo 2010 Shanghai a great success and extend, on behalf of my fellow residents in Rhone-Alpes, our friendly greetings to our Chinese friends.
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