By Dai Qian

China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) carries significant responsibilities and duties including in inviting Expo participants for World Expo 2010 Shanghai China. CCPIT is mostly in charge of inviting tasks concerning countries with which China has not established diplomatic ties and inter-governmental organizations. In only nine months, more than 100 countries and organizations, including 3 countries with which China has not established diplomatic ties and 12 inter-governmental organizations, have confirmed their participation in Expo 2010 Shanghai. Such accomplishment was achieved by CCPIT's hard work. As members of CCPIT’s Liaison Group of the Organizing Committee of Expo 2010 Shanghai, we have witnessed the efforts from CCPIT.

Establish An International Participation Invitation Mechanism

The smooth process of the international participation invitation is based on the establishment of an effective mechanism. Cai Guofeng, Vice Leader and Director to the Office, the Liaison Group of the Organizing Committee of the Expo 2010 Shanghai, told our reporter: "In order to do a good job to invite international participants, the organizing committee led us to establish the '4+1' participant invitation working mechanism in early 2006. The "4+1" refers to four bodies including Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People's Republic of China, Ministry of Commerce of PRC, Shanghai Municipal People's Government and CCPIT, along with the Commissioner General of the Exposition representing Chinese Government. There is one work conference for '4+1' members every three months in order to plan for international participation invitation tasks in the next stage. The establishment of this mechanism created a nice working environment that helps the participation invitation work in the future.

Assist in Moving International Participation Invitation Work Forward

CCPIT greatly assisted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the international participation invitation work. Based on conventions of previous Expos and reference to Formal Participation Invitation of World Expo 2000 Hanover Germany and Formal Participation Invitation of World Expo 2005 Aichi Japan, CCPIT helped the city of Shanghai to draft the Formal Participation Invitation of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China, submitted to the Organizing Committee for approval and assured the undersigned.

After the Formal Participation Invitation of World Expo 2010 Shanghai was sent to 166 countries that have established diplomatic ties with China, the task to invite countries that have not established diplomatic ties with China and inter-governmental organizations was added to the agenda. CCPIT provided the list of international organizations invited and participated in World Expo 2005 Aichi and the list of international organizations participated in World Expo 2000 Hanover. The Liaison Group of the Organizing Committee submitted the drafts of Formal Participation Invitation to Countries with No Diplomatic Ties in World Expo 2010 Shanghai, Formal Participation Invitation to International Organizations in World Expo 2010 Shanghai and Formal Participation Invitation to NGOs in World Expo 2010 Shanghai to the '4+1' members for approval and confirmed with the State Council about the undersigned and delivery measures of each invitation.

Since the international society were largely concerned about when the formal invitation would be sent out, CCPIT assisted the Publicity Department of CPCCC and the Information Office of the State Council to promote and report on the sending of invitations. On April 12, 2006, Gao Yan, former vice president of CCPIT, attended and presided over a media briefing about World Expo 2010 Shanghai, held by the Organizing Committee. The media briefing introduced the latest progress in inviting international participants for World Expo 2010 Shanghai since invitations were sent out to the diplomatic envoys of foreign countries to China and resident representatives of international organizations. Afterwards, the Information Office of the State Council held a press conconference in Beijing to give introduction on preparation of Shanghai Expo and responses to invitations by the international society. The Liaison Group of the Organizing Committee also collected the progress of international invitation in time and shared the information with member institutions via Dynamic Information.

Greatly Value International Participation Invitation to Countries with No Diplomatic Ties with China

As planned in the work assignment, CCPIT has attached great importance to efforts to invite countries with no diplomatic ties with China to participate in Shanghai Expo by gathering experts to study the situations of relevant countries and making primary proposals about working objects, targets, principles, focus points and working plans in inviting 25 countries with no diplomatic ties with China to Shanghai Expo. CCPIT drafted The Proposal about Trying to Invite Countries with No Diplomatic Ties with China to World Expo 2010 Shanghai and submitted the proposal to member institutions of the '4+1' for discussion and modification. The proposal was then submitted to the State Council for approval and put in practice afterwards

Take Advantage of Visiting Foreign Countries to Promote International Participation

In 2006, various leaders of CCPIT visited relevant institutions during their stays in countries including Japan, South Korea, Guatemala and Costa Rica to promote partnership with their counterparts as well as to convince these institutions to influence their governments to confirm participation in Expo Shanghai.

CCPIT made full use of its advantages and composed relevant work proposals about how to do a better job in marketing and promoting Expo Shanghai in large international expositions. In this proposal, they made a general plan based on the distribution, size and influence of districts, in line with promotion needs of Expo Shanghai. According to the plan, CCPIT will choose several exhibition projects every year to put in promoting and marketing focus. Target exhibition items and numbers would be adjusted based on needs of Expo Shanghai in the future. CCPIT will also assist the city of Shanghai to promote Expo Shanghai in the 2007 Year of China in Russia and Expo 2008 Saragossa. For example, they might launch the project "Week of Shanghai".

The efforts that CCPIT has put in promoting Expo Shanghai, in line with hard work from relevant institutions including Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Shanghai Municipal Government, has assured achievements of inviting the international participants in Expo Shanghai.