Shanghai Daily news

The government of New South Wales in Australia and the Shanghai government last week explored issues of urbanization to be highlighted in the World Expo 2010.

Representatives discussed how cities such as Sydney and Shanghai can creatively deal with urban problems and realize sustainable development.

Morris Iemma, premier of New South Wales, said the seminar in Shanghai was just the beginning of cooperation between China and New South Wales on tackling sustainable urban development.

Sydney will hold the 9th World Congress of the Metropolis in October when mayors and governors of cities and provinces of more than 1 million people will discuss "Connecting Cities."

A record 205 countries and international organizations have confirmed participation in the Shanghai Expo to date, said Huang Jianzhi, deputy director of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination. China had set a goal of 200. "I think we made it because we have an attractive theme about cities, which attracted universal attention," said Huang.

The governor of New South Wales submitted a State Department of Education and Training report, part of the Expo Training Master Plan offered by schools in New South Wales, to Expo staff.