Full text of Premie Wen's speech at Summit Forum
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
Expo 2010 Shanghai is an eye-opening event, showcasing the best material achievements of human civilizations. It will also leave behind a rich spiritual legacy and a constant source of inspiration. This is the soul of the Expo. Only when the fruits of human civilization are elevated onto the spiritual and philosophical level will they become the common assets of the entire humanity and be passed down from generation to generation. It is therefore highly relevant that we review this Expo and see what experience and inspiration we can draw from it.
The World Expo has promoted a new approach to development, i.e., green environment-friendly and low-carbon development. The Expo Site itself is a model of low-carbon development, where the solar power generation system has a total installed capacity of 4.6 megawatts, more than 1,000 cars are powered by new energy sources, and the 165-meter-high chimney symbolic of industrial civilization has been turned into a meteorological signal tower. Many pavilions are built with the latest low-carbon materials and energy-saving technologies, and numerous cutting-edge low-carbon technologies and products are on display. The Urban Best Practice Area, the first of its kind in the Expo history, illustrates the success stories of various countries in urban development and management and depicts a new way of future urban life with interesting cases and vivid models. These innovative ideas show that mankind has acquired a more scientific understanding of what development means and become more rational and mature in the pursuit of development. They will exert a far-reaching impact on the economic growth pattern, industrial structure and consumption model.
The World Expo is convincing proof that scientific and technological revolution is a strong driving force behind social progress. Science and technology advances are an important hallmark of social progress. The United Kingdom hosted the first World Expo in 1851, because it was the first country to launch the Industrial Revolution and manufactured a large number of technological products. The industrial revolution spurred an incredible growth in productivity. The productivity generated in the less than 100 years after the Industrial Revolution exceeded the sum total of productivity of all previous times. And the last 100 years have seen even greater increases of productivity than the 100 years following the Industrial Revolution. Expo 2010 Shanghai has shown mankind’s latest achievements in science and technology, such as the new generation of mobile communications, artificial intelligence, new materials and eco-friendly construction, and they speak volumes about the immense human wisdom and creativity. The development, application and dissemination of these news technologies, new energy sources and new materials will not only have a major impact on the way we work and live, but also lead the course of industrial development in the future. They will also provide strong support for our efforts to overcome the underlying impact of the international financial crisis and promote sustained recovery of the world economy.
The World Expo is a vivid demonstration of the diversity of human civilizations. The Shanghai Expo has offered a broad stage for inter-cultural exchanges and integration, reminding us that we live in a divers and colorful world. Here, one can see not only the high-tech products from the developed world such as the Unites States and Europe, but also national costumes and ebony sculptures unique to Africa and ingenious handicrafts from the Caribbean and Pacific island countries. These products epitomize the human wisdom gained over the long course of productive activities, and embody the values and ideals of a nation. They are the material form of a nation’s culture. In addition to the rich exhibits, there were dazzling art performances from across the world in the Expo Site every day, including the indigenous African dances, the elegant French court dance, the passionate Argentine tango the refined Japanese Noh theatre, the lively English folk music and the exquisite Peking opera. The artistic qualities of various cultures have added to the life and appeal of the Expo. The World Expo tells us that every country and every nation has a traditional culture to be proud of and that each fine culture is a fruit of human civilization and deserves our respect and care. One flower does not make a beautiful garden.
The Expo has fully demonstrated that equality and harmony is the common aspiration of mankind. The Expo is a festive event for all people in the world, and everyone involved in the Expo is an equal member of the big Expo family. Without mutual understanding and trust, and without the live for peace and harmony, it would not have been possible for people form so many different countries and nations to come to this joyous gathering. Among the 14 Pacific island countries and 13 Caribbean countries that made their first collective presence ant the Expo, some are new to the World Expo and some do not yet have diplomatic relations with China. Yet they all participated with great interest and enthusiasm. This is a good example which shows that the World Expo is above national, ethnic and religious boundaries. Providing quality service to the visitors and participants is a top priority of Expo 2010 Shanghai. Many facilities for the convenience of visitors are installed in the expo Site. After careful selection, we invited nine Muslim restaurants to the Site to offer Muslim food. The commitment of taking good care of the visitors is shown in very detailed way. For the first time, a pavilion for disabled persons is established in the Expo Site. There is a variety of special services such as accessible sears for all activities, wheelchair rental and accessible depositories. Each individual is fully respected here. The Expo tells us that progress of a society is not just about the number of skyscrapers, but also meeting the practical and cultural needs of each individual and warming people’s hearts with the sunshine of social care.
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