Zhu Yonglei, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, delivers a speech.

Liu Zhiping, president of Tencent Holdings, delivers a speech.

Expo 2010 senior sponsor Tencent unveiled its strategic "iCity iExpo" project along with a series of Internet products for Expo 2010 on Thursday in Shanghai.

The "iCity iExpo" online community project will interact with Shenzhen-based Tencent’s existing products and services, such as QQ.com, the instant messenger QQ, QQ space and QQ game. Tencent, a Hong Kong-listed company, is expected to organize up to 170,000 Expo volunteers to invite other QQ users to join a volunteer team to promote Expo on the Internet. The online community will also encourage 448 million Tencent service users and about 100 million Expo visitors to the real Expo site to contribute contents to the online Expo travel encyclopedia. Tencent’s Expo section (2010.qq.com) is expected to have more than 100 million of page views by the opening of Expo 2010 next May.

Xie Yuefeng, general manage of Tencent's Expo project center, delivers a speech.

the unveiling ceremony of iCity iExpo project

More than 60 Tencent employees are directly working for the Expo 2010 project. Expo Online will go online in shortly, said Liu Zhiping, president of Tencent Holdings. Expo Online is a virtual reality Website where Expo 2010 participants can show their pavilions and exhibitions online.

“We are deploying our best technologies and our best teams in online Expo projects and we will offer all-round, top quality Internet services for Expo 2010,” Liu added.

Zhu Yonglei, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, highly appreciated Tencent’s contribution as the exclusive Internet service supplier and said that Expo 2010 joining hands with Chinese Internet business shows that Expo 2010 will share its creativity and humanity with more users and let more people know about the event.

Tencent is the senior sponsor in Expo Shanghai's Internet service, including operating and maintaining the official Website of Expo 2010, Expo Online, Expo virtual community and other value-added projects involved in Expo 2010. It also undertook the Expo-related online promotion campaigns for other Expo sponsors. Shanghai Daily works with Tencent to operate and maintain the English version of the official Expo site.