The 2010 World Expo in Shanghai will strengthen relations between Russia and China, Industry and Trade Minister Viktor Khristenko said on Saturday.
The $4 billion event opened on Saturday with a lavish ceremony and fireworks display and is expected to attract 70 million visitors before it closes on October 31.
"The expo in Shanghai is on its own a big enough reason for the expansion of Russian-Chinese cooperation," the minister said at a news conference in the Russian pavilion, which is considered one of the main attractions.
Russia and China are strategic partners, Khristenko said, and the amount of economic, political and cultural interaction between the two countries is constantly growing. He said the six-month expo, which runs under the motto "Better City, Better Life," created "the perfect atmosphere for expanding cooperation in all spheres of Russian-Chinese relations."
"The pavilion is Russia, and it provides an opportunity for everyone to see how Russia is today thinking about the future, what it is doing now for the future, and how it is ready for dialogue and discussion," said Khristenko, who is chairman of the Organizing Committee for Russian participation in Expo-2010.
Russia constructed a pavilion at the exhibition for the first time in 30 years. The sun-shaped pavilion comprises 12 white-and-gold towers symbolizing the 12 months of the year, and occupies an area of 6,000 square meters.
It showcases Russia's recent scientific and economic development and offers a diverse cultural program.
More than 190 countries are participating in Expo and 49 have constructed their own pavilions.
SHANGHAI, May 1 (RIA Novosti)
