Liu Yunshan (second right, front), head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, inspects the Shanghai World Expo site in east China's Shanghai Municipality, January 30, 2010. Liu Yunshan inspected the Expo Center, International Broadcast Center and the Expo site in Shanghai on Saturday. - Xinhua

Liu Yunshan (first right), head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, inspects the Shanghai World Expo site in east China's Shanghai Municipality, January 30, 2010. Liu Yunshan inspected the Expo Center, International Broadcast Center and the Expo site in Shanghai on Saturday. - Xinhua

A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Sunday called on organizers of the Shanghai World Expo to provide convenient services to all Chinese and foreign reporters with a more open stance, in order to let the world know better about China and the international event.

"The 2010 Expo is also a grant gathering of world media," said Liu Yunshan, head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.

"Organizers should do well the media service job with a more open stance, welcome reporters with open arms, make considerate arrangements, provide various news resources in a timely manner and offer convenient and professional services to Chinese and foreign reporters covering the event," Liu said when inspecting the Expo's publicity work in Shanghai.

The 2010 World Expo will be held from May 1 to October 31 this year, and is expected to attract a record 70 million visitors as well as 30,000 reporters from home and abroad.

So far, close to 9,000 reporters have applied to cover the event, according to Yang Zhenwu, publicity chief of the CPC Shanghai municipal committee.

"The Shanghai Expo is another international event held by China after the Beijing Olympics in 2008," Liu said, adding that media and publicity work is of crucial importance to the success of the Expo.

New media such as the Internet and mobile phones should also be employed in the publicity work of the event, he noted.

Liu also stressed that news media should provide all-round information about the Shanghai World Expo to the public.

Source: Xinhua