Another 11 countries, regions and international organizations have confirmed their participation in the Shanghai World Expo to be held from May 1 to Oct. 31, 2010, said Wan Jifei, chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

The international community was responding actively to the Expo, and the new participants would boost the total number to 169, Wan said at a meeting on international trade exhibition.

The number is driving closer to Shanghai party chief Xi Jinping's estimate in August that the number of participants would reach 170 by the end of this year, and to 200 by the end of 2008.

China had seen a rapid development in the exhibition industry, said Wan, adding that domestic exhibitions had been increasing by 16 percent annually from 2001 to 2005, and international exhibitions by 19 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2007)