Official invitations to attend the 2010 Shanghai World Expo were sent out on Wednesday by the Chinese government to foreign embassies in China.

The invitations, signed by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, were sent to countries with established diplomatic relations with China.

The event was legally registered by the International Bureau of Expositions last December and the invitation process is a key part of its preparations in 2006, according to a meeting of the organizing committee chaired by Vice Premier Wu Yi recently.

The 2010 Shanghai World Expo will be held from May 1 to October 31, 2010, and is expected to draw 70 million domestic and foreign visitors. Two hundred countries and international organizations will be invited to participate in the Expo.

(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2006)