CHINA – The World Expo closed in Shanghai yesterday, having attracted a record attendance of 73m visitors.
Almost 250 participating countries and international organisations attended the event, which International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) president Jean-Pierre Lafon called an "astounding success."
The Expo, the first of its kind to be staged in a developing country, gave the people of China opportunity to learn from the experiences and expertise of other nations, as a "one-day Expo visit outweighs 10 years of reading," Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said as he closed the event.
"The Expo has brought together the Chinese people wishing to learn more about the world and foreign friends wishing to know more about China. Thanks to the Expo, they have forged a strong bond of friendship," he said, adding that the Expo “has boosted China's confidence and resolve to pursue reform and opening up”.
United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon called the Expo a "remarkable, even historic event”.
"I hope that China will be an urban pioneer," he said, adding that he looks forward to working closely with China on the sustainable development agenda.
The Shanghai Declaration, created by the event’s participants, proposed that 31 October be nominated as World Better Cities Day, to carry on the legacy of the Shanghai event.
Milan, which hosts the World Expo in 2015, was recently given the a green light to register at the upcoming general assembly of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE), after resolving a land dispute.
