Chilean president: Shanghai Expo represents most important event in world

Special Report:
Expo 2010 Shanghai
China

SANTIAGO, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Chilean President
Michelle Bachelet has said that Shanghai World Expo 2010 will be the important
event in the world.

"Shanghai World Expo will be the most important event
in China as well as in the world in 2010 and it is of key significance for Chile
to participate in the expo," Bachelet told Xinhua recently.

The remarks were made after Bachelet attended the
launching ceremony of Chile's participation of the Shanghai World Expo 2010 last
Thursday.

"Chile has decided to participate in the expo and
design its own pavilion because we want to convey a clear message to the Chinese
government and the Chinese people that Chile is a reliable and capable partner
of China," she said.

Chile will continue to support China in promoting its
economic development and boosting its relations with Latin American countries as
the two countries share the common aspiration to promote the harmonious and
sustainable development of their economies and improve the living standards of
their peoples, the president added.

The president regarded Chile's participation in the
Shanghai Expo as a new opportunity for boosting bilateral economic and trade
ties.

She also said the event would strengthen Chile's
status as a platform for Chinese investment to enter Latin America.

The Chilean government decided to actively
participate in the event shortly after it received the invitation, she said.

The Chilean pavilion at the Expo, designed by a
Chilean company and constructed by a Chinese one, will shorten the gap between
the two peoples and facilitate the Chinese people's better understanding of
Chile, its product and its people's view on the world and future, said Bachelet.

The president said the friendship between the two
countries can be traced back to long time ago, noting that Chile expected its
best performance at the Shanghai Expo.

The Shanghai World Expo 2010, under the theme "Better
City, Better Life," is expected to build a powerful and lasting pilot example of
sustainable and harmonious urban living.

U.S. insists its food supply is safe, pork doesn't transmit swine flu virus

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Tuesday insisted its food supply is safe and pork meat does not transmit the swine influenza virus.

"The American food supply is safe," U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and the head of the Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, said in a statement.

"USTR and USDA are working closely with the Departments of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the situation carefully," they said.

In their statement, Kirk and Vilsack cited references from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC statements that there was no evidence of swine flu being transmitted by meat.

"Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products," the statements said. "Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe."

Stressing potential concerns about the safety of U.S. pork and pork products, Vilsack stated that "while there is no evidence at this time that swine has been infected with this virus, the science is clear that consuming or handling pork, consistent with safe handling practices, is of no risk to consumers."

Kirk, the top U.S. trade negotiator, urged all trading partners to base any food safety measures taken to protect their populations on scientific evidence and in accordance with their international obligations.

"Restrictions on U.S. pork or pork products or any meat products from the United States resulting from the recent outbreak do not appear to be based on scientific evidence and may result in serious trade disruptions without cause," Kirk said.

The swine flu outbreak began in Mexico and has spread globally. The latest CDC data showed that there were 65 confirmed cases of human swine flu infection in the United States, none of them fatal.

In response to the outbreak, the WHO raised the worldwide pandemic alert level late Monday to Phase 4, signaling an increased likelihood of a pandemic.