Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, seeking to cash in on booming business opportunities in the Yangtze River Delta Region, not only wants closer ties with Shanghai, they also would like a magnetic levitation railway linking the two cities by the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

"If the dream comes true, it would only take half-an-hour from Hangzhou to Shanghai," said Hangzhou Mayor Mao Linsheng.

It now takes about two and a half hour on the expressway to go to Hangzhou from Shanghai.

Wang guoping, secretary of the CPC Hangzhou Committee, and Mao will lead a delegation of government officials and businessmen to visit Shanghai, starting on August 12, to set up closer ties with the country's largest city.

A famous tourist resort, Hangzhou plans to increase efforts to develop its manufacturing industry and the burgeoning high-tech sector, which are gradually playing an important role in the city's GDP growth.

In the first quarter of the year, Hangzhou's GDP hit 39.9 billion yuan (US$4.8 billion), up 14.2 percent from a year earlier.

"Hangzhou is more than an exquisite tourist city," said Wang. "We aims to develop other industries as well, and an extensive cooperation with Shanghai is important."

Mayor mao said cooperation between two cities is crucial for the development of the Yangtze River Delta Region, which could greatly contribute to the national economic development.

Hangzhou's delegation will also promote the 2003 West Lake Exposition.

The expo will be held from October 18 to November 8 in Hangzhou. To attract more tourists, Hangzhou is constructing new tourists resorts along the lakeside, which are scheduled to open to public before the National Day holidays in October.

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