The ground-breaking ceremony of Belgium and EU pavilion for the Shanghai 2010 Expo took place in Shanghai Wednesday.

Didier Reynders, Belgian Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and Shanghai World Expo coordinators made hand prints at the Expo site.

The pavilion chooses the Brain Cell as its dominant conceptual image. It signals the role of Belgium as the main cross-points and gathering centers of Latin, German and Anglo-Saxon’s cultural traditions.

The pavilion will also showcase Belgian lifestyle by its world famous beer, chocolate and diamond.

Leo Delcroix, Commissioner General of Belgian Government for World Expo Shanghai 2010, told Xinhua that the cartoon image, the Smurf, would be a tour guide during the Expo.

Soundbite: Leo Delcroix, Commissioner General of Belgian Government for World Expo Shanghai 2010 “I think that as well Tin Tin but also the Smurf can be a bridge to form mutual understanding, better mutual understanding, and that we will try to set up. So we will use the cartoons as a link between Belgium and China.”

More than 150 seminars and discussions would also be held beside exhibitions at the expo.

Soundbite: Didier Reynders, Belgian Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance “We are maybe one of the most important countries with industry in the sustainable development. And we will try to explain that with the functioning of the pavilion, but also with a lot of conference to exchange or experience maybe with Chinese companies, with Chinese authorities, because we have the same problem to face in Europe and in Asia, also in China and in Belgium about the sustainable development.”

The pavilion construction is scheduled to finish at the end of December.

(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2009)