At a press conference on October 22, the Shanghai Municipal Government spokesman Jiao Yang introduced the following issues and answered reporters' questions.

Shanghai will focus on solving four problems in its urban planning. The Shanghai government will take several concrete steps over the next few weeks to prepare for the World Expo in 2010. Mayor Han Zheng will lead a delegation to visit Hong Kong from October 26 to 28.

CCTV: How will you control the buildings in the local downtown areas? It is said that Shanghai will restrict the number of high-rises, will the already-planned world's tallest building be included in the planned restrictions?
Jiao Yang: Everybody is concerned about the issue. Adding a public greenbelt and cutting plot ratios aims at offering a more comfortable living environment to local residents. Reducing plot ratios can restrict the total number and height of the buildings. However, not all the high-rises are covered in the restrictions, and our management and layout will be based on local urban planning and conducted in a scientific way.

Hong Kong Takungpao: Please describe for us the international forum on World Expositions to be held by the end of the month, and indicate the forum participants? You mentioned just now that Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng will lead a delegation to visit Hong Kong. Why does he choose this time to go there? Also, please describe the cooperation between Shanghai and Hong Kong?
Jiao Yang: The international forum will be held on October 30 and 31, and before that, the Shanghai Municipal Government and the Bureau of International Expositions will jointly hold a press conference to introduce the forum in detail. Therefore, I won't reveal the details now because the press conference would become meaningless. But I can say the forum participants are all those related to the World Expo, and the subjects and contents of the forum will be introduced at that time.
The Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) signed by the Chinese central government and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a significant strategic decision which Shanghai will stick to and put into operation. The Shanghai municipal government maintains an active and concrete attitude towards its discussions with Hong Kong at this time, and it needs a period of time to make preparations. That's why Shanghai leaders chose this time to visit Hong Kong.

Shanghai Youth Daily: People in the Shanghai suburban areas are encouraged to move to key central towns, but it will bring more employment pressure there. How will you solve the problem? The public is concerned about the residents relocation problem. Are there any measures to be taken in the future?
Jiao Yang: Your two questions are both concerned with the population concentration in central towns. We will issue a plan soon in which we will create better living and transportation conditions for residents, improve the environment and create more job opportunities while controlling the population density in the city center and raising the attractiveness of central towns in suburban areas in order to attract more people to move there.
A series of laws and regulations on residents relocating have been issued over the past several years, and all the government departments have made concrete steps to put them into operation in order to fully protect relocated residents' legal right.

South China Morning Post: A local delegation led by mayor Han Zheng is leaving for Hong Kong to promote bilateral economic cooperation. Is it likely to generate an agreement? Quite a few Hong Kong residents worry about the overheated developments in Shanghai. How can the mayor dispel their concerns?

Jiao Yang: The delegation and its Hong Kong counterparts will decide whether they should reach an agreement or an assurance of cooperation of any other kind. For the second question, I want to change some terms and put it this way: "Hong Kong residents care about the fast development in Shanghai." The Mayor's delegation to Hong Kong is to implement what's set in the CEPA framework, or to facilitate a move to fuel economic developments in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Common prosperity brings mutual benefits, and we are pleased that the well-being of Hong Kong will contribute to the well-being of Shanghai, and the whole country as well. I suppose such a commitment gives a kind of assurance to the people in Hong Kong.

People's Daily: Many people say urban planning doesn't mean anything in reality. Some residential blocks built even today fail to reach the threshold plot ratio of 1:1. How will you make sure that real estate developers build new homes with standard plot ratios in the future? Are there any punishments for the violators? Are there any detailed housing density standards referred to in the government's new urban planning act?

Jiao Yang: I'm glad that the journalists have raised such professional questions. I agree that there used to be loopholes in the law enforcement, but since we have the new act now, we will further secure its execution. The act streamlines urban planning management into a two-level system (district-level / city-level) to make sure that all the housing projects are under strict control. Urban planning should be honored as an authoritative and serious task.
In the management system, municipal departments will be responsible for most of the compilation, while the districts and counties in charge of the ratification of the housing projects are required to obey the general rules. Districts and counties will be closely supervised by the municipal authority. We'll put special emphasis on the supervision and the execution of the new act, prohibiting any modification by any individual and any organization. Group or individual violators will be forced to dismantle constructions by the law and face fines. Partially completed buildings that can't be pulled down will be confiscated and auctioned off. Municipal authority, on the other hand, will further investigate the cases and impose administrative punishments on individuals and heads of the organizations responsible for the violations. Criminals should be turned in to the judiciary.
More detail will soon be available in the act. I'll spare the time.

International Financial News: At the fourth Yangtze delta economic coordination meeting held in mid August, officials with Shanghai's World Expo office disclosed that about 70 million people are expected to visit World Expo 2010 creating a direct investment estimated at US$3 billion. The event is anticipated to increase five or ten times the economies of Shanghai's neighboring areas. My question is how the figure of the number of visitors is worked out? Is it based on previous experiences? And is the event's effect on Shanghai's neighboring areas' economies justified?

Jiao Yang: The figure of visitors is not worked out based on the previous expos, because the expectation of 70 million visitors is the highest one ever for a World Expo event. As far as I know, the figure is based on the average annual growth rate of tourists to Shanghai for the past eight years, or a growth rate of 8 percent each year. That means in 2010, the number of tourists to Shanghai will hit 140 million. If so, during the six-months when the World Expo will be staged, the visitors will be half that number,that is 70 million. That's the result of the natural growth of visitors. And if we take promotion into account, the number of visitors would probably exceed 70 million. As for the expectation on investment and economic effects on the neighboring areas, the figures are worked with reference to the previous World Expo events. They are not accurate conclusions, but calculated on the basis of reference.

Nihon Keizai Shimbun: Can you provide Shanghai's latest GDP data? What's the GDP growth rate of the first three quarters? And can you give an estimation of GDP for 2003?

Jiao Yang: There're no doubt this year's GDP growth rate will remain at a double-digital number. But the GDP data for the whole year will come out after statistics are made at the year's end. You can easily check the GDP data on the statistical bureau's website.

Shanghai Daily: According to the previously mentioned Shanghai's new city planning regulations, the government will probably increase penalties on illegal constructions. My question is,are the penalties targeted at illegal constructions already built, or those being build? What will the government do with the existing illegal constructions? This planning meeting is the fifth one. When were the previous four held? As far as I know, this meeting is held eight years after the first one. Why does it take so long? And will the planning made at this meeting be effective till 2010, 2020, or even longer?

Jiao Yang: By law, the planning meeting is not held annually, but held when it's necessary. Usually, it's held in response to the situations and requirements of the city's economic and social development. It's not held every year. This year's meeting focuses on guidelines, principles and the regulation systems of the city's urban planning work as well as improvement of the legislative system and technological index in this area. It's planning for the overall social and economic development. Therefore, it targets an urban planning for a mid-short turn.

CHAI magazine from Japan: It's quite difficult now for us to find old constructions in Shanghai to make feature stories. What will the city's planning do concerning these old buildings?

Jiao Yang: Shanghai is a national historic and cultural city. Both the city's party secretary Chen Liangyu and its mayor Han Zheng have emphasized strictest measures to protect these old constructions. And how to achieve that? Above all, we should do so by law and strictly implement "the Protection Regulation for Shanghai's Historic and Cultural Scenes and Excellent Historic Constructions". While applying comprehensive planning and all-round protection, we will expand the scope for protection. We'll intensify protection of the 12 historic and cultural scenes in the downtown area and the 398 excellent historic constructions and renowned historic and cultural towns. We will stress protection of the whole areas under protection. Meanwhile, Shanghai will further carry on the general research for old buildings and will include more constructions of value in its protection scope. We will scrutinize new construction around the old buildings or any reconstruction of the old buildings to ensure the new constructions or reconstruction won't disturb the style of the old buildings and its neighboring environment.

21st Century Business Herald: Will you reveal details about the Expo company to be founded soon? When will it be formally established? What's the property ownership of the company? Will it be a completely state-owned company or state-owned holding company? Will it function as a property manager or as a direct developer? Will the company handle the business on Expo-related land development? And you just mentioned that the existing World Expo 2010 Shanghai Executive Office would be replaced by the Shanghai World Expo Bureau. What抯the reason of the replacement? What's kind of organization it is? Will the Expo bureau remain after the 2010 World Expo? What's the relation between the bureau and the Expo company?

Jiao Yang: Previously, the administrative organ of Expo-related affair was the World Expo Bidding office. As the bidding has finished, now it's been renamed the World Expo Office. That's natural, without much change. Preparation for the 2010 World Expo is large scale, systematic work. Most of the staff in the bidding period were temporarily transferred from various departments. With the bidding having succeeded, they have returned to their former positions in the other departments. Therefore, we now need a specific organization to work for the preparation. We have taken cautious considerations and exchanged views with the central government on this issue, and have been approved the establishment of an Expo bureau. It marks a development in the preparation for the 2010 World Expo, which is easy to understand.

The Expo bureau will manage Expo-related affairs representing the government. The 2010 World Expo will be held in China, and Shanghai is the host city. So, the Expo bureau will perform all duties assigned by the state Expo preparation organizing committee.

As for the relation between the Expo bureau and the Expo company, the company will operate under the guidance of the bureau. You just asked about the ownership and limits of authority of the company. I'd provide some details here: the company will operate under government guidance and be run by market rules. A cooperation center and a land reserve center will be established under the bureau, the final name of the two centers will be announced at the founding ceremony. The land reserve center will be responsible for the requisition, reserve and development of the land for the Expo, and afterward the leasing of the land to the Expo company for further operation. The capital of the land reserve center is from government-backed investment companies, it will make up the balance of the income and expense through the increase in land value brought about by the Expo. The cooperation center will be responsible for Expo buildings construction, ticket sales, promotions and logistics assistance. It invites either state capital or private or oversea fund.

Land Magazine, People's Daily: Is there any instruction from the central government on Yangtze River Delta planning and development? For many cities in the Yangtze River Delta, neighboring Shanghai is an advantage in their development. So what measure will Shanghai take for further development? What's the policy on human resources?

Jiao Yang: The plan on the Delta focuses on Shanghai. The Yangtze River Delta is closely related to Shanghai, so cooperation with cities in the Delta is quite important to Shanghai's development. A fine partnership between Shanghai and the Delta cites will benefit all cities in the area including Shanghai.

As for human resource policy, Shanghai will control the population, but won't block talents. The government of Shanghai has issued a series of policies to guarantee a smooth flow of human resources within the Delta area. For instance, the policy issued recently on college graduates. You can find policies on this aspect on the website of Shanghai human resource bureau and education bureau.

Shanghai Morning Post: A notice released by the former Expo Office in May mentioned an IPR violation of the 2010 World Expo logo. Has the city government issued any regulations on this point now? Is there any punishment to the related companies or organizations? Also, the notice said the Expo company will be responsible for the commercial management of the Expo logo. How will the capital be used after the management?

Jiao Yang: Certainly, we will protect the intellectual property of the Expo logo. The Expo office has made an announcement on the IPR of the 2010 World Expo. But I have no details on the punishment for the violation. You may contact the Expo office for further information. As for the commercial operation of the Expo logo, there will be detailed regulations after the Expo company is established.