Taipei - Taiwan said Friday it is still waiting for China's
invitation to attend the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, as time is running
out for Taiwan to build the Taiwan Pavilion.
'Some countries have already begun to build their pavilions, but
we are still waiting for the invitation from the Bureau of Shanghai
World Expo Coordination,' Chao Yung-chuan, secretary-general of the
China External Trade Development Council, told the German Press
Agency dpa.
Chao dismissed speculation that China wants to exclude Taiwan from
the Expo for political reasons, but admitted he does not understand
why the Expo bureau has sent invitation to all countries and many
international organizations, but not to Taiwan.
'It takes a lot of preparation to build a country's pavilion -
producing the design, finding a construction contractor, interior
decoration. Even if we get the invitation now, honestly speaking, it
is already late to build the Taiwan Pavilion,' he said by phone.
Wang said the Expo bureau has neither openly welcomed Taiwan to
set up the Taiwan Pavilion nor rejected Taiwan's attendance, but it
has allowed the Taipei City and the Aurora Group to open their
pavilions.
The Taipei city will set up a pavilion in the Urban Practices Area
to introduce WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) City and Garbage Recycling, and
the Aurora Group will launch the Aurora Pavilion, which is a
'Cooperate Pavilion' to showcase jade artworks.
Wang said the Expo bureau is offering participants three choices:
they can build their own pavilion, rent a pavilion, or share space in
the common pavilion which will serve small countries that do not want
to build their own pavilions.
'If time runs out for building our own pavilion, we have to rent a
an already-built pavilion. Taiwan will not not use the common
pavilion because China does not regard Taiwan as a country and will
not put Taiwan into the common pavilion,' he said.
The Shanghai World Expo will be held from May 1-October 31, 2010.
The Expo, held every five years, is expected to draw 70 million
visitors.
According to the Expo's website, 186 countries and 47
international organizations have confirmed their participation in the
Expo. Shanghai is building the China Pavilion which will have
separate sections for China's provinces and cities, and will be kept
as a permanent monument after the Expo has ended.
But Taiwan does not want to enter the China Pavilion because the
island, split from China since the end of the Chinese Civil War in
1949, regards itself as a sovereignty country currently recognized by
23 nations.
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