Taiwan has been formally invited to take part in the Shanghai world expo, Taiwan External Trade Development Association president Wang Chih-kang nnounced yesterday. owing a letter of invitation at a hastily called press conference, the Taitra chief said a Taiwan Pavilion will be erected for China’s first ever world exposition from May 1 through October 31 next year.
“It will be the first time we are participating in a world expo in 40 years,” Wang said.
The last expo Taiwan took part in was held in Japan in 1970. Taipei still maintained diplomatic relations with Tokyo then.
When two more expos took place in Japan after Tokyo switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, Taiwan was represented at neither. But more than half a million people from Taiwan visited the Nagoya Expo in 2005.
The letter was received in Taipei at 6 a.m. “We are very much satisfied,” Wang said, “that Taiwan has been invited to attend.”
Wang is equally satisfied that the Taiwan Pavilion will be located in an area that is the easiest to access in the vast 2010 Shanghai Expo compound opposite the world-renowned Bund across the Huangpu River.
“Ours is next door to the China Pavilion, which is going to be the top attraction of Shanghai Expo,” Wang said. The Taiwan Pavilion will be in Area A, that is assigned to Asian countries. Its neighbor pavilions will be erected by Nepal, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan.
Altogether NT$1 billion (US$30 million) is needed to build the Taiwan Pavilion, Wang said. “We’ll raise it by asking for contributions from big businesses,” he added.
At least one of them has already committed himself. He is Terry Guo, chairman of the Hon Hai group who has pledged NT$300 million (US$990,000) for construction of a Taipei pavilion as part of the Taiwan Pavilion.
A total of 190 countries will be represented at the 2010 expo. Forty-eight international organizations will also take part.
“Shanghai Expo,” Wang said, “offers the best chance to our businesses to sell their products and services.” Tens of millions of people all over the world will visit the six-month world exposition.
Expo-goers from Taiwan may total one million.
Moreover, Taipei is planning to hold a “flower exposition” in the half year during the Expo to attract visitors to Shanghai to come to Taiwan.
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