Beijing Horticultural Expo 2019 reaches out to a wider global audience at the First World Expo Forum for Development and International Cooperation

On December 13, 2018, the First World Expo Forum for Development and International Cooperation with the theme of “Innovation, Cooperation and Development: World Expo towards the Future” was opened at the World Expo Museum (WEM) in Shanghai, China. Gao Yan, Chairperson of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Xu Kunlin, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), and Hong Hao, Chairman of World Expo Museum delivered opening speeches. Yin Zonghua, Vice Chairperson of the CCPIT, presided over the opening ceremony.

In her opening speech, Gao Yan said that 87 countries, 23 international organizations, and more than 120 non-official organizations have confirmed their participation in the Beijing Horticultural Expo 2019 scheduled for April 29 to October 7, 2019 with the theme of “Live Green, Live Better”, exceeding the targets of the exhibition. She also extended her invitation to her audience to meet at the foot of the Great Wall next year for the Horticultural Expo 2019 and experience the new realm of world horticulture and a new paradigm of ecological civilization.

Chairperson Gao Yan delivered an opening speech and invited friends from all over the world to gather at the Horticultural Expo 2019

The forum consists of four panel discussions devoted to the themes of “World Expos and International Cooperation”, “Urban Impacts & Design in World Expos”, “World Expos and Culture”, “Economic Impacts and Innovation in World Expos”. At the discussions, the following topics are addressed: the role in shaping World Expo’s public diplomacy and the community of human destiny, in promoting urban development and creative design, in promoting cultural exchanges, people-to-people exchanges, in boosting technological innovation, trade and investment, and in helping companies develop international cooperation.

In the afternoon, a special promotion meeting was held for the Dubai World Expo 2020 and the Beijing Horticultural Expo 2019. Taking advantage of this forum, the Dubai World Expo 2020 officially launched the Shanghai leg of its China Exhibition Roadshow, held the China Pavilion Market Development Promotion Conference, and the plaque awarding ceremony for the first group of partners of the China Pavilion. At the Beijing Horticultural Expo Promotion Conference, Zhang Liang, Deputy Director of the Trade and Investment Promotion Department of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and Peng Hongming, Deputy Secretary General of China Flower Association spoke about the current exhibitors of the Horticultural Expo and the progress of the preparatory work, respectively.

The Beijing Horticultural Expo publicity film shown at the special promotion conference

Zhang Liang said: “The Chinese government attaches great importance to the preparations for the 2019 Beijing Horticultural Expo. Under the leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the relevant national organizations and the city of Beijing have worked closely together to press forward with various preparatory tasks and have achieved positive results. Preparation is well under way as planned.” In terms of international exhibitors, a total of 110 countries and international organizations having confirmed their participation and planning to build 41 outdoor exhibition gardens, including 34 independent exhibition gardens and 7 joint exhibition gardens. The construction of international exhibition gardens is progressing smoothly. Of Chinese exhibitors, more than 120 non-official participants including regions, enterprises, universities and colleges, well-known design houses, from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, have confirmed their participation in the Beijing Expo. As for exhibition services, the one-on-one international exhibition service team is being formed while the exhibition hall is being built at the Expo site, which will provide one-stop services for exhibitors, such as document handling, industrial and commercial registration, inspection and quarantine, finance, and logistics.

Deputy Director Zhang Liang spoke about the current exhibitors and services of the Horticultural Expo

Deputy Secretary-General Peng Hongming spoke about the progress of preparations for the Horticultural Expo. The site construction of the 2019 Beijing Horticultural Expo has entered the final stage. Interior and exterior decoration, electromechanical installation, and outdoor projects are being finished at the core venues such as the China Pavilion and the International Pavilions. The main parts of the public green landscape projects are completed, except for some seasonal flowers which will be planted next spring. Exhibition arrangement has started at the main venues and exhibition gardens. The publicity of the Horticultural Expo has intensified, with higher frequency of international promotion at the BIE Conference, the International Association of Horticultural Producers Annual Meeting, the International Exhibitors Conference, the WTCF Qingdao Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit, China (Guangdong) International Tourism Industry Expo and other platforms, and the 200-day countdown, targeting Chinese and overseas audience. So far in 2018, this publicity effort has generated more than 30,000 news reports related to the Beijing Horticultural Expo. The series of activities to be held during the Horticultural Expo have been basically determined. Carefully planned opening and closing ceremonies, the China Pavilion Day, National Days, Honor Day, Provincial, Autonomous Region and Municipality Days, professional forums, international competitions, float parades, cultural exhibitions and other activities will be held to make full use of the Horticultural Expo as a platform for economic, trade, cultural and people exchanges. The operation and support of the Horticultural Expo site have been gradually improved. They include special work programs such as the overall planning of the ticketing system, transportation, security, visitor service, concierge reception, large-scale activities, and volunteer recruitment for the Expo.

Deputy Secretary-General Peng Hongming spoke about the progress of preparations for the Beijing World Expo

The First World Expo Forum for Development and International Cooperation is hosted by China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, and the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) and organized by the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) and the World Expo Museum. More than 300 Chinese and overseas people attended the Forum. They included representatives of the BIE, host countries of the recent previous World Expo events, key BIE member countries, foreign governments, chambers of commerce; international experts and scholars; representatives of leading professional international expo companies; representatives of China’s relevant ministries and commissions, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, National Energy Administration; representatives from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities and Hong Kong and Macao; representatives from host cities of previous horticultural expos and world expos, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Qingdao and Xi’an; representatives of research institutes, experts and scholars, professional organizations in the expo industry; company representatives; and Chinese and overseas media representatives.

The venue of the First World Expo Forum for Development and International Cooperation