FINAL STRETCH: The two pictures, shot 100 days and 500 days prior to the opening of the Shanghai Expo, show construction of the China pavilion (XINHUA)

Preparations for the World Expo 2010 Shanghai are going according to plan and most pavilions are nearly complete, said an Expo official during a press conference in Beijing.

Construction for the event, which will begin on May 1, has moved into the final stages, said Yang Xiong, Vice Mayor of Shanghai and Deputy Director of the Executive Committee for the Expo.

A total of 192 nations and 50 international organizations are confirmed to participate. All 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities on the Chinese mainland, along with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will also take part in the event, according to Yang.

"More than 220 countries and international organizations have also confirmed that they will join the online World Expo, which will offer cyber users a great Expo experience on the Internet," said Yang.

Yang said 90 percent of pavilion construction has been completed, while 80 percent of the 42 foreign pavilions are in their final stages of decoration.

Most of the new transportation construction for the Expo, including a central ring road and new subway lines, have already been completed and put into use. Ferry and streetcar lines that cross the Huangpu River will be complete within three months, Yang said.

More than 90 bus routes and five subway lines run through the Expo area, and 42 buses will run within 2.4 km of the area. Yang said the public transportation system would be able to meet visitor demand, though traffic jams are still possible during rush hours, he said. The municipal government is planning to increase the number of subway trains to ease traffic pressure, he said.

"The issue of carbon-level control is also our concern. All the buses for the Expo use green energy, like electricity," said Hong Hao, Director of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination.

Hong said the Expo would use solar power units that can generate up to 4.6 megawatts, and the lighting system would use light-emitting diodes to save electricity.

"We have facilities to collect rainwater to irrigate green spaces, which cover one third of the Expo area. We have even rebuilt old factories into pavilions," he said.

Hong estimated that these measures could reduce the event's total carbon emissions by up to 70 percent.

Exhibition items and construction materials have entered and exited through the Shanghai Port. In April 2009, the local customs bureau set up a service and management center at the Expo area to create a green channel for logistics and to provide a one-stop service.

On September 29, 2009, two rare Aldabra Giant Tortoises from the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles islands arrived at the Expo through Shanghai's Pudong Airport. Their arrival had been prepared for in advance and the two precious animals were quickly situated in their temporary home.

IPR issues

With just three months remaining to the May opening of the Expo, cases involving violations of intellectual property rights (IPR) of the event's 3,000 licensed products are increasing. The State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), the General Administration for Industry and Commerce and the General Administration of Customs said that they would enhance IPR law enforcement against counterfeiting.

In 2004, the country's State Council released a special set of regulations to protect the legal use of the World Expo emblem. "It's our solemn promise to enhance the law enforcement on Expo IPR-related issues," said SIPO Deputy Director General Gan Shaoning.

The General Administration for Industry and Commerce has registered 61 Expo signs and symbols. During a campaign that has spanned one and a half years, nationwide industry and commerce regulators have launched 55 cases of Expo signs violation with a total value of 168,000 yuan ($24,700).

Disease control

In 2009, Shanghai and neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces signed agreements to prevent and control infectious diseases in an effort to guard against A/H1N1 flu and ensure public sanitation during the Expo.

The Yangtze River Delta Disease Prevention and Control Department will join forces during the Expo to prevent and manage pandemic diseases. Major infectious disease outbreaks or public health incidents are required to be reported immediately and countermeasures will be carried out cooperatively to manage the situation.

The Shanghai Expo will run from May 1 to October 31, 2010. More than 18 million tickets had been sold as of January 17, according to the official Expo website.

Yang Xiong estimated the Expo would host around 70 million visitors, or more than 400,000 per day on average.