News websites at all levels should focus on the reporting and promotion of World Expo 2010 Shanghai, a senior official urged Monday at a forum held in Shanghai, aiming to enhance the cooperation among the country's online news media.

Officials from the country's 25 news websites and well-known commercial websites gathered Monday in Shanghai signing a memorandum to enhance cooperation on coverage of the Expo.

"Prophase reporting and promotion of World Expo 2010 Shanghai is very important. Key news websites should put it on the agenda, improve contact with organizers, and give priority to staff arrangement and website reconstruction," said Li Wufeng, director of the Network Bureau under the State Council Information Office. 

Chen Tong, chief editor of Nasdaq-listed Sina.com, said: "As an influential Chinese portal website, Sina.com participated in the event from the very beginning when Shanghai was chosen as the host city for World Expo 2010."

"We also invited related officials, experts, and famous people around China to online thematic chat with netizens. New measures will also be taken to widen ways of communication," Chen noted.

In order to promote the public awareness of World Expo 2010 in China and encourage the whole country to participate in this event, the Department of Publicity of the CPC Central Committee organized a press corps consisting of journalists from both central and provincial media in Shanghai for a 6-day interview program from February 26 to March 3, 2007.

Zhao Zhiguo, deputy director of the telecom regulatory department of the Ministry of Information Industry, said the forum is another great opportunity not only for World Expo 2010 Shanghai but also for the nation's news websites to improve influence.

He Jiazheng, CEO of peoplesdaily.com, said that key news websites should give full support to the reporting and promotion of World Expo 2010 Shanghai, as it is not only a chance for a city, but for a whole nation. Over 20,000 Expo-related reports have been collected since peoplesdaily.com opened a special feature for the Expo. Special staff was also arranged to maintain contact with the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo to get first-hand information.

A survey of Chinese people's recognition of World Expo 2010 Shanghai was conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics between the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007. Some 16,500 families in 46 major cities were sampled. A draft report will be released soon, Chen Xianjin, deputy director of Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination told a press briefing on Tuesday.

Chen revealed that Shanghai people's recognition of the Expo is much higher than those in central and western regions. He noted that online media's reporting and promotion of the Expo is vital to the event, since most Chinese people get information about the Shanghai World Expo through television.

Construction of the Expo park and resettlement of residents inside the park are going smoothly. 18,000 families had moved into newly built homes, with a documented 20 families forced to move. But, an official from the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, who asked not to be named, estimates that the number is actually at least 30.

The 184-day event runs from May 1, 2010 to October 31, 2010, and is expected to attract 70 million-plus visitors, making it the biggest in history.

As of April 6, 2007, 127 countries and international organizations had confirmed attendance for the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, with organizers expecting the number to reach at least 200.

(China.org.cn by staff reporter Zhang Yunxing, April 10, 2007)