President Hu Stresses Safety, Quality Services for Shanghai Expo

"We should ensure safety and offer the best possible services so as to make the Shanghai World Expo a truly successful, spectacular and unforgettable event," Hu told officials with the organizing committee.

With concern over the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu, stricken by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake three weeks ago, Hu visited the Qinghai provincial booth at the Joint Pavilion of Chinese Provinces, Autonomous Regions and Municipalities, and told Qinghai officials to work for the well-being of quake victims and to preserve the vulnerable local ecology in rebuilding work.

Qinghai Province is home to Asia's "water tower" as it is the source of China's three major rivers -- the Yangtze, the Yellow and the Lancang (which becomes the Mekong outside China).

Other top leaders, including Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, also visited the Expo site on separate occasions.

They visited the China Pavilion and venues of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as the national pavilions of the United States, Russia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Mexico and the joint African Pavilion.

They also toured the United Nations Pavilion, a number of theme pavilions and the Urban Best Practice Area, a highlight of the Shanghai Expo that carries the theme of "Better city, better life".

The six-month event, which runs till Oct. 31, is expected to draw 70 million visitors.

(Source: Xinhua)