Shanghai Expo provides platform for international corporations for South Africa

By Zhou Yu and Li Jianmin

JOHANNESBURG, March 18 (Xinhua) -- South African Pavilion Director for Shanghai Expo 2010, Schoemen du Plesiss, depicted the design for South Africa's pavilion in Shanghai Expo 2010 as magnificent with numerously glamorous African culture, red wine, dancing and advanced technological products by corporations from South Africa.

"South Africa will be participating for the first time as an individual country and we have 2000 square meters pavilion in which we will show South Africa in a wonderful way with modern design while retaining a lot of African characters to attract Chinese visitors ," he told Xinhua Thursday in an exclusive interview.

As described by Plesiss, within 16 years after rescinding of apartheid in South Africa, the country has obtained spectacular developmental success on political, social, economic, cultural and other fields with tremendous changes. Therefore, South Africa is in urgent need for such opportunities as the Shanghai World Expo to show South Africa's accomplishments, while seeking trade and economic cooperation with other countries in the world.

According to Plesiss, construction of South African pavilion is nearing completion to provide visitors with a scene of well-being for all South Africans in an equal and harmonious society, especially to show South Africa in economic development, social progress, and greatly improved people's livelihood.

During Shanghai Expo, South African government has arranged a series of wonderful programs to visitors. "To accompany the pavilion, we have quite a lot of programs of South African cultural activities, as well as youth groups, traditional African fashion show, many things people would find interesting to see South Africa."

Shanghai World Expo and the South African World Cup are two biggest international pageants in 2010 to glean attentions globally. Plesiss regarded Shanghai World Expo undoubtedly an excellent business opportunity to South Africa's business community to seek association with the emerging economy entities like China, from which South African and Chinese enterprises would benefit tremendously.

"For both countries, events like this come to place in the middle of world's recession to be used to stimulate our economies. " He noted, "Putting up all the infrastructure for the World Expo obviously benefit many companies in China and in South Africa, we have to update the roads, build new stadiums and put new hotels, like a rescue package in the middle of recession."

Plesiss said that a number of large enterprises in South Africa during the World Expo in Shanghai debut in the hope of access to Chinese market on mining, information technology, medicine, biotechnology, environmental technology, industrial manufacturing, processing of agricultural products, automobiles, aviation equipment and so on, while seeking more investment from Chinese enterprises in South Africa.

As a warm-up for the Shanghai World Expo, some of South African companies held commercial promotion in Shanghai in 2009 named as "South African National Exhibition" and "investment in South Africa". Dozens of large enterprises in South Africa for the first time appeared in Shanghai with a wide range of promotion activities, and ultimately reached cooperation intentions with many Chinese enterprises.