Expo in Shanghai was officially inaugurated

Shanghai - The World Expo 2010 was officially opened today in the Chinese commercial metropolis of Shanghai with the participation of two dozen heads of state and government. The six-month event aims to present China to the world as an emerging global power. The exhibition will be open to the public starting on Saturday.
    Chinese President Hu Jintao and his wife were joined on the official podium by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni. Among others, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and European Commission President José Barroso were also present.
    President Hu subsequently declared the exhibition open, stating it would be "unforgettable."
    Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, North Korea's second-highest official Kim Jong-nam, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, and presidents from several African countries also arrived in Shanghai.
    The first part of the ceremony took place in a concert hall for 18,000 people, where, among 2,300 performers in one and a half hours, action movie star Jackie Chan, Japanese singer Shinji Tanimura, Chinese pianist Lang Lang, and Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli made appearances. The second part took place on the banks of the Huangpu River and featured a monumental fireworks display, laser show, and water performances.
    "We want to dazzle the world," said the artistic director of the ceremony, Ignatius Jones, regarding the grandeur of the opening show.
    The already strict security measures in the city were further tightened today. Authorities, according to Reuters, closed the entire Pudong financial district, where the Expo complex is located, to all incoming visitors except for a few workers, journalists, and VIP guests. A helicopter is flying over the area while police patrols guard the street corners around the exhibition site.
    The gates of the exhibition will open to the public on Saturday. It is expected that the event will attract over 70 million visitors, with 189 countries, including the Czech Republic, scheduled to present their pavilions according to the latest reports. The original number of 192 countries has decreased as Bhutan, Kuwait, and Burkina Faso reportedly canceled at the last minute, according to AFP.
    The location of the exhibition was designed with environmental considerations in mind. It includes, for example, the largest solar power plant in China, and transportation is provided by vehicles that emit no air pollution, reported Reuters.