SHANGHAI 2010 WORLD EXPO: YANGTZE RIVER DELTA CITIES HOPE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SHANGHAI 000190 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/CM, EAP/PD (EMMONS),ECA/PE/C (KORYCKI) STATE PASS USTR FOR STRATFORD, WINTER, MCCARTIN, ALTBACH DOC FOR ITA/MAC - DAS KASOFF, MELCHER, SZYMANSKI, COUCH, LEHRMAN TREASURY FOR OASIA - DOHNER/HAARSAGER/CUSHMAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD PGOV KPAO SCUL CH SUBJECT: SHANGHAI 2010 WORLD EXPO: YANGTZE RIVER DELTA CITIES HOPE FOR REGIONAL BENEFITS REF: A. (A) SHANGHAI 148 ¶B. (B) SHANGHAI 149 ¶C. (C) 07 BEIJING 7251 (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for dissemination outside USG channels; not for Internet distribution. Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) A number of Yangtze River Delta (YRD) cities are looking to Shanghai's upcoming World Expo 2010 as an opportunity to advance infrastructure development and tourism promotion. A March 8 press conference about the Shanghai 2010 World Expo held during the Central Government's annual legislative session emphasized the Expo's potential benefit to other cities in the YRD region. The Consulate's exchanges with YRD city officials during the past two months demonstrated that many are developing cooperation plans with the Shanghai World Expo Bureau. Discussions with YRD city officials suggest that the Shanghai 2010 World Expo seeks to avoid one of the criticisms levied against the 2008 Beijing Olympics that the event did not benefit other cities in the region. End Summary. Expo Officials Set the Stage in Beijing -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The Shanghai 2010 World Expo captured national political attention in March 2009 when the second session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing featured a press conference on the Expo on March 8. Representatives of the Shanghai World Expo Executive Committee emphasized at the press conference that the Expo would not be derailed by the global financial crisis, promising that the event would break even if not earn a profit. Expo organizers offered their views on the financial benefit to Shanghai, as the city plans to attract as many as 70 million visitors (10 million of whom are predicted to be overseas visitors) during the May 1 - October 31, 2010 expo season. The 2010 Expo's theme is "Better City, Better Life" (see ref A),and Vice Premier Wang Qishan recently stated that the Expo would be a "platform for countries, organizations, and enterprises to showcase the latest innovations in urban development." ¶3. (SBU) In particular, officials at the press conference emphasized the Expo's potential benefit to other cities in the YRD region. Zhou Hanmin, a Vice Director of the Shanghai World Expo Executive Committee and a CPPCC delegate, highlighted on March 8 the Expo's possible contribution to infrastructure development and tourism promotion in the YRD region. Also speaking at the press conference, Cheng Yuechong, Vice Mayor of Ningbo in Zhejiang Province, said the Expo will help push forward economic integration in East China. Views from YRD Cities -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Calls on the Consul General by official visitors from YRD cities, as well as reporting trips throughout East China, have provided opportunities to hear the views of YRD city officials on cooperation with Shanghai on the World Expo. Three cities -- Huzhou in Zhejiang Province, Changzhou in Jiangsu Province, and Wuxi in Jiangsu -- have been particularly interested in expanding their city's cooperation with the Shanghai 2010 World Expo Bureau. Huzhou Promoting its Local Silk Industry -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Huzhou, located in northern Zhejiang Province between Lake Tai and Hangzhou, is known as the "City of Silk" and remains a major silk and textile producer. The Huzhou Municipal Government signed a cooperation agreement with Shanghai 2010 World Expo Bureau last year, and Huzhou Mayor Ma Yi has stated that the city hopes to showcase the city's history and culture, as well as its environmental protection measures, during the Expo. Huzhou Vice Mayor Li Jianping told the Consul General on SHANGHAI 00000190 002 OF 003 April 16 that the municipal government hopes foreign visitors to the Shanghai Expo will make the 3-hour trek from Shanghai to Huzhou's Mogan Mountain and/or the Anji County Bamboo Forest, which was one of the locations for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." All of the cities in the YRD hope the Expo will help the region improve its infrastructure, thereby facilitating tourism, Li said. ¶6. (SBU) Seeking to take advantage of its own history, as well as its contribution to World Fairs in the past, the Huzhou Municipal Government is sponsoring a cartoon movie promoting Huzhou's famous silk industry. Vice Mayor Li proudly pointed out that Huzhou silk won the gold medal at two previous World Fairs, including at the London World Fair in 1851 -- believed to be the first time the Chinese participated in a World Expo. Huzhou officials hope the DVD movie will publicize both Huzhou and the 2010 World Expo. Changzhou Reaching Out to Tourists -------------- ¶7. (SBU) During the Consul General's visit to Changzhou on March 31 (Ref B),Vice Mayor Han Jiayu said the Expo would benefit Changzhou in six ways. According to Han, the Changzhou Municipal Government plans to: (1) participate in Expo seminars, particularly those focusing on the transportation sector, (2) participate in the "Jiangsu Week" at the Expo, (3) participate as an exhibitor at the "Jiangsu Pavilion," (4) use the internet both to promote the Expo to Changzhou residents and attract visitors to Changzhou, (5) offer a one-day Yangtze River package cruise that includes a Changzhou stop, and (6) promote tourism to Changzhou at the Expo. ¶8. (SBU) During a recent visit to Shanghai, Vice Mayor Han officially signed an agreement on behalf of Changzhou, as a key YRD city, with the Shanghai World Expo Bureau to develop a regional cooperation program as part of the Shanghai 2010 Expo. Wuxi's Proximity Means More Opportunities -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Starting off an April 20 briefing by stating that "there are only 375 days until the Expo," Lin Zhu, Deputy Director of the Wuxi Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, told PolOff that Wuxi officials hopes the city's close proximity to Shanghai (Wuxi is only 45-50 minutes west of Shanghai by train) will allow Wuxi to take advantage of several opportunities at the 2010 World Expo. Zhu said Wuxi officials have been discussing possible cooperation initiatives with the Expo Bureau for several months, and Wuxi plans to be a full participant in YRD-related or Jiangsu Province-sponsored forums or discussions at the Expo. Wuxi will host a one-week Expo promotion activity in May 2009 to help attract positive attention for the Expo among Wuxi residents as well as promote Wuxi to a Shanghai audience. ¶10. (SBU) In particular, Wuxi hopes to highlight the city's tourism opportunities. Located on the banks of Lake Tai, and featuring the Lingshan Buddhist Temple, Wuxi also boasts the mountain springs at Huishan. Wuxi officials believe the city is well-placed to attract foreign tourists during the Expo period, especially given the convenient train route from Shanghai to Wuxi. Elsewhere and Further Afield -------------- ¶11. (U) Shaoxing, a major textile and rice wine producing city between Zhejiang provincial capital Hangzhou and major port city Ningbo, has announced that it will observe its 2,500th founding anniversary during 2010. Shaoxing officials told visiting Shanghai Consular Corps officers on March 27 and 28 that they hope to attract many visitors who come to the Shanghai Expo. Anhui Provincial Tourism Bureau officials with whom the Consul General met in Hefei on April 9 expressed hopes about near-term agreements with Shanghai entities about how to better link Expo visitors to tourism opportunities in that mountainous and less SHANGHAI 00000190 003 OF 003 prosperous part of East China. A Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration brochure, "Expo 2010 Shanghai: Shanghai Expo Tours 2010: 30 Tour Lines" that has begun to circulate in English this April in Shanghai only lists two destinations in Anhui - the ancient villages of Xidi and Hongcun. However, the planned package tours also reach: -- many destinations in East China, including but not limited to Suzhou, Wuxi, Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, and Putuoshan; -- Beijing, Xian, Kaifeng and Pingyao; and -- in Sichuan, hit by the devastating May 12, 2008 earthquake, Chengdu, Leshan, Emeishan, Jiuzhaigou, the remains of the Dujiang Dam and an exhibition hall there, the remains of Beichuan Old City and the new Wenchuan county seat. Comment: Lesson Learned from the Olympics? -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Discussions with YRD city officials suggest that the Shanghai 2010 World Expo seeks to avoid one of the criticisms levied against the 2008 Beijing Olympics that the event did not benefit other cities in the region (see Ref C). Nonetheless, it remains to be seen if the Expo will help advance YRD integration or benefit individual cities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces. A Shanghai-based Chinese reporter told PolOff on April 16 that with only one year left before the Expo's opening on May 1, 2010, it will be difficult enough for the Expo Bureau to coordinate efforts within Shanghai to host the Expo much less reach out to YRD cities. The YRD city officials we have met, however, all appeared optimistic that the Shanghai 2010 World Expo will have a positive impact on the YRD region, particularly in the areas of infrastructure development and tourism promotion. CAMP