Chilean President Michelle Bachelet attends an initiation ceremony for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo in Santiago, capital of chile, April 30, 2009. Bachelet said at the ceremony that Chile hoped to send a message to the Chinese people with its decision to participate in the Shanghai Expo and build an independent pavilion that Chile is a reliable and capable partner. (Xinhua/Zhao Kai)
SHANGHAI, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Altogether 236 countries and international organizations have confirmed attendance to next year's World Expo in China's biggest city Shanghai, organizers of the event said Friday.
Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were he two latest confirmed participants, said a spokesman with the Shanghai World Expo Coordination Bureau.
So far, all the 14 members of the Caribbean Community and Common Market have confirmed attendance to the Shanghai event, he told Xinhua Friday.
Friday marks the one-year countdown to the event, which is expected to draw 70 million visitors.
To date, 189 countries and 47 international organizations have confirmed attendance to the Expo.
Of the participating countries, 50 are from Africa, 33 from America, 45 from Europe, 45 from Asia and 16 from Ocean. Twenty of them are yet to forge diplomatic relations with China, including Bhutan, Palau and Guatemala.
Shanghai will therefore replace Hannover of Germany to host the most crowded World Expo ever. The Hannover World Expo in 2000 drew155 countries and 17 international organizations.
