Zhou Hanmin, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination

representatives from member cities of the Association of Cities and Regions Hosting an International Exposition (AVE)

Juan Alberto Belloch Julbe, mayor of Zaragoza, has been appointed as the chairman of the Association of Cities and Regions Hosting an International Exposition (AVE).

The appointment was made on the third conference of AVE on Friday in Zaragoza, Spain. Attendees reviewed the report of the second AVE conference and discussed issues such as revising the AVE constitution.

Zhou Hanmin, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, at the conference congratulated Zaragoza on the success of the Zaragoza Expo which is set to wrap up tomorrow.

Zhou also briefed AVE members on the schedules of the 2010 Expo, hoping them to take an active part in various activities during the event.

He said on a forum at the same day that preparations of Shanghai Expo had entered a vital stage after the 600-day countdown of the event. Zhou also talked about the two anticipated highlights of the Expo, the "Urban Best Practice Area" section and the Expo Shanghai Online, emphasizing the heritage left by Expos not only belong to the host country, but also the whole world.

Representatives from Hannover, Lisboa, Sevilla, Aichi, Montreal and Vancouver signed a declaration on October 29, 2000 in Hannover, announcing the establishment of AVE, with the aim of facilitating cooperation between Expo host cities.