美国为上海世博会展馆筹款
US Expo funding soughtEight months after Beijing hosted history’s most-watched Olympics, Shanghai is finding next year’s World Expo a very different experience as the U.S. delegation struggles to raise $61 million to participate.
As the global economy slumps, the U.S.A. Pavilion Organization has yet to find the money needed to participate in the world’s biggest fair, said co-chairwoman Ellen Eliasoph. The group must submit details of a fully-financed project by April 15.
Organizers hope the event will draw 70 million visitors over six months and give Shanghai the kind of boost Beijing received from the Olympics.
Niu Li, an economist said: “The government hasn’t spared any effort and is fully prepared for the expo, but this is a once-in-a-century crisis.”
U.S.A. Pavilion is in negotiations with sponsors for proposed donations of more than half of the $61 million needed, Ms. Eliasoph said.
As the U.S. tries to raise funds, other nations have begun construction. The U.K. started building its pavilion last month, with Barclays, BP, Diageo, AstraZeneca and GKN giving 500,000 pounds each and the British government paying the balance.
“It would be a shame if the U.S. were absent,” said Riel Tan, a 31-year old engineer in Shanghai. “Even with the financial crisis, the U.S. is still the world’s powerhouse.”
美为上海世博会展馆筹款
八个月前，北京举办了历史上最受瞩目的奥运会，明年，上海将举办世界博览会。现在，美国展团正在忙着为参展设法筹措6100万美元的资金。上海发现举办明年的世博会与北京举办奥运会完全不同。
美国展馆组织方负责人之一艾秋兴说，由于全球经济衰退，美国展馆组织方尚未筹措到参加这个世界最大博览会所需的资金。而该组织必须在4月15日之前提交一份出具资金来源的计划。
世博会的组织者希望，上海世博会在6个月的展期里将吸引7000万参观者，正如奥运会给北京带来各方面的促进一样，世博会也将促进上海的发展。
中国经济学家牛力（音）说：“政府不遗余力地为举办上海世博会做充分的准备，然而，现在正赶上百年一遇的危机。”
艾秋兴说，美国展馆组织方正在与赞助公司就提供6100万美元中的一半以上资金进行商谈。
美国在设法筹措资金，其他国家已开始建造展馆。英国上月开始建馆，巴克莱、英国石油、帝亚吉欧、阿斯特捷利康、吉凯恩等五家公司各为英国展馆提供了约72.2万美元的资金，差额部分由英国政府提供。
31岁的上海工程师谭先生说：“美国如果缺席就太丢脸了。即便遭遇金融危机，美国仍是世界经济强国。”
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