As of yesterday, 94 countries and international organizations had officially accepted invitations sent by Premier Wen Jiabao in March, confirming their participation in the 2010 expo, said Hua Junduo, commissioner-general of Expo 2010 Shanghai.

So far 12 countries have appointed commissioners-general; 24 have designated bodies to lead their projects and other responsible authorities; and 16 have sent technical teams to China to work with the organizers on a wide range of issues relating to their participation, said Hua.

He made these comments yesterday in Shanghai at the First Participants Meeting for the World Exposition Shanghai China 2010.

Of the countries that have accepted invitations, 29 are African countries, six are American countries, 18 are European countries, 23 are Asian countries and seven are Oceanian countries. Eleven international organizations have also accepted.

Many other countries and organizations are expected to be represented at the exposition.

Representatives of 49 countries and six international organizations that have not yet confirmed their attendance at the expo were also present at the meeting yesterday. The meeting was aimed at discussing preparations for the event.

Altogether, 288 people representing 115 countries and 12 international organizations attended the two-day meeting, which ended yesterday.

Hua said the strong attendance was "a good omen of success for an event that is still four years away."

Among the issues discussed at the meeting were the construction of pavilions, traffic solutions and toilet facilities.

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