Economic woes impact World Expo
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Chinese officials insist next year's World Expo in Shanghai has enough sponsorship and enough participants to be a success, despite the pressures of the current worldwide economic crisis, according to BBC News.
About 232 countries and organisations have signed up to take part in the technology and innovation showcase, although several have scaled back their plans.
With just over 400 days to go until the exhibition opens, the United States has yet to confirm its attendance because it's struggling to find the money to build its pavilion.
It has been widely reported that US law prohibits the use of public money to build an Expo pavilion.
The Chinese appear to have accepted this explanation as to why it's proving hard to raise the cash needed from other sources.
But that assertion is challenged by a group of Americans who describe themselves as 'Expo veterans' who are one of three teams attempting to create a US pavilion.
Group member Bob Anderson insists that whereas a law passed in 1991 forbids the State Department from funding Expo activities, it does allow the department to use public money from other government agencies to build a pavilion.
He's critical of the plans being developed for a pavilion by the team backed by the State Department, describing their plans as "mundane and out of date with current realities, and very expensive".
He says his group and another team made up of members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai are seeking to work with the 'official' team to come up with something cheaper and more striking.
About 232 countries and organisations have signed up to take part in the technology and innovation showcase, although several have scaled back their plans.
With just over 400 days to go until the exhibition opens, the United States has yet to confirm its attendance because it's struggling to find the money to build its pavilion.
It has been widely reported that US law prohibits the use of public money to build an Expo pavilion.
The Chinese appear to have accepted this explanation as to why it's proving hard to raise the cash needed from other sources.
But that assertion is challenged by a group of Americans who describe themselves as 'Expo veterans' who are one of three teams attempting to create a US pavilion.
Group member Bob Anderson insists that whereas a law passed in 1991 forbids the State Department from funding Expo activities, it does allow the department to use public money from other government agencies to build a pavilion.
He's critical of the plans being developed for a pavilion by the team backed by the State Department, describing their plans as "mundane and out of date with current realities, and very expensive".
He says his group and another team made up of members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai are seeking to work with the 'official' team to come up with something cheaper and more striking.