EDITOR'S note:

The following article is adapted from the author's new book "Ten Years: Expo & Me." It will be run in two parts.

IN November 2001, I was appointed the Chinese Delegate to the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) residing in Paris.

It was the first time since the establishment of the BIE in 1931 for a country to appoint a full-time delegate engaged in World Expo bidding. Before the appointment, I had no prior study or work experience in diplomacy, nor did I have experience in international relations.

Fortunately, after my arrival in Paris the Chinese Embassy in France offered me great support. In particular, Wu Jianmin, a renowned diplomat and China's then Ambassador to France, offered his sincere help.

One who has never been to the BIE can never feel the intense competition and awesome commitment that goes into the bidding campaign. Although you might not see real flames and smoke, the competition in bidding for the Expo was tough. It is not only a contest of national power but also a direct manifestation of a country's history, culture, tradition, legal system, and advocacy for liberty and democracy.

Rival cities

We had five rival cities bidding for Expo 2010. They were: Yeosu of South Korea, Moscow of Russia, Wroclaw of Poland, Queretaro of Mexico, and Buenos Aires of Argentina.

Generally speaking, each of the above five countries has its own advantage in terms of national power and cultural diversity. However, I was convinced that Shanghai, China, edged out the other competitors. This impression became stronger throughout my communications with people from various countries.

During my stay in Paris, I was concerned about the attitudes of European countries towards China's bidding for the Expo.

At that time, about one third of EU countries had delegates to the BIE. Among them, three countries' attitudes were particularly important: Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

Thanks to cordial Sino-German relations, then-Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder initially expressed Germany's support for China's bidding for Expo as early as 2001. At that time the French public, especially business circles, offered substantial support to Shanghai's bid. Among them, led by the Carrefour Group, large French enterprises established themselves a club to support Shanghai's Expo bidding. In contrast, the political circle was relatively indifferent.

To lobby for the UK's support, I paid three visits to the country during my stay in France for Expo bidding. In the course of applying for a UK visa in Paris, the British Embassy in France offered me a great deal of help and I took every chance to inquire about the attitude of the UK towards Shanghai's Expo bidding.

Tim Flair, then chief UK representative to the BIE, was a diplomat from Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. I paid two special visits to him but failed to catch a hint of any clue about the stance of British authorities.

However, by the third visit the situation improved. When I met Tim Flair for the third time, his attitude had warmed and he revealed to me an important message: the UK's vote entirely depended on whether the UK's overseas image would be enhanced by taking part in the Expo.

I consulted him about the interpretation of "overseas image" and Tim replied with two key words: "awareness" and "fondness." I was quite interested because these two words not only delivered a message about the UK's own criteria regarding participation but also implied a backstory.

I asked Tim if the UK had conducted any opinion polls regarding "awareness" and "fondness" of the British in China. Tim nodded and admitted the result was somewhat disappointing.

Despite the high awareness, the fondness of Chinese people towards the UK turned out to be quite low. I told Tim that the result was understandable considering the sometimes hostile nature of Sino-UK relations in the past two centuries.

If we hold an open and positive attitude towards it, the Sino-UK relations will surely be improved. We believed that hosting an Expo in China would provide an exceptional opportunity for the British to demonstrate a new outlook to the world and to China. Tim appeared to seriously consider what I told him.

On December 3, 2002, in Monte Carlo, Monaco, the so-called "clutch time" came. The BIE 132nd General Assembly was held in Green Ma Di Convention Center to vote for the host city of Expo 2010.

The whole morning session was scheduled for presentations by candidate countries. In the middle of it, one colleague called me to read an urgent letter from the central government. The letter said that the British government had decided to support China's bidding for Expo.

I returned to the meeting hall and happened to run into Tim as he was walking towards me in an elated mood. Tim happily told me about the positive message from the British government.

Although I had learned about this a bit earlier, I still felt quite moved to see Tim's sincere and heartfelt smile on his face. However, we both were immediately caught up in the air of tension during the following four rounds of voting.

In the first round, China received 36 votes and ranked top but didn't win two thirds of the total ballots. Following were South Korea with 28 votes, Russia 12 votes, Mexico six votes and Poland, which got two votes and was eliminated.

The second round: China ranked first with 38 votes, South Korea 34, Russia 10 and Mexico, which got five votes and was eliminated. In the third round, China topped the list with 44 votes followed by South Korea with 32. Russia, which got 12 votes, was eliminated. In the last round between China and South Korea, the final score was announced - 54:34, in favor of China to host the World Expo 2010.

Birthplace

Being the birthplace of the World Expo, the UK is known as the founder of the World Exposition industry. The Crystal Palace, center piece of the 1851 expo, is often mentioned.

When talking about the UK, most Chinese people might immediately associate it with the iconic landmarks of Big Ben and Windsor Castle or the fashionable London Eye besides the Thames.

I remember a pleasant talk with the then-British Ambassador to Cuba many years ago.

He asked me whether the Chinese people were fond of Shakespeare or Harry Potter.

I didn't want to choose either option. I thought both the British and the Chinese would easily find the answer together at Expo 2010 Shanghai.

During the years of Expo preparation, I had met with former and current British Prime Ministers. The major topic in our discussion was the UK Pavilion at Expo 2010 Shanghai.

What kind of pavilion would it be? Would it arouse people's enthusiasm for exposition architecture just as the Crystal Palace did in 1851? Would it leave an unforgettable legacy for the history of expositions architecture?

Key to China

In July 2003, then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair paid a visit to Shanghai. He personally designated eight people from different circles for a meeting and I was one of them.

In our conversation, Mr Blair told me that the British attached great importance to participating in Expo 2010 Shanghai but were confused about where to find the "key" to open the door of China.

I replied that the key was right in the hands of the British people. The ideas of Expo 2010 Shanghai are "people-oriented, making innovations, diverse culture, cooperating with an Expo project, and looking towards the future." Both British authorities and British enterprises could surely find the best way of expressing the unique values and identity of the UK in terms of the above-mentioned concepts.

In August 2006, the UK officially confirmed their participation in Expo 2010 Shanghai.

When reviewing the confirmation letter from then Prime Minister Blair to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, you may read these words: "Britain would appear at Expo 2010 with its creativity, diversity and innovation of economic value of dynamic knowledge on the basis of sustainable development."

Recalling the question asked by Tony Blair three years ago, I smiled with delight knowing that the wise British people had found the "key" to open the door into China as expected.

Zhou Hanmin, a professor of law, is a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Committee of the CPPCC. Shanghai Daily condensed his article.