World's largest exhibition complex nears launch in Shanghai

Construction of the first phase of National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai is about to be completed by the end of this month. Pitched as the world's largest single block building and exhibition complex, the project is expected to stage its first show in October, sources said.

The NECC, co-built by the Ministry of Commerce of China and the Shanghai municipal government, will be developed into 1.47 million square meters of gross floor area, almost 2.5 times that of the under-construction Shanghai Tower, the nation's tallest building and the second-highest in the world.

Facilities at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) include exhibition halls, commercial center, office buildings, and a hotel. These four facilities are linked together by an 8-meter-high elevated pedestrian walkway.

According to Wang Zhiping, secretary of CPC Committee of China Foreign Trade Center, director general of China Foreign Trade Center, the first phase of the four-leaf clover shaped exhibition project will be completed at end June, with its first exhibition about to fall on October 19.

The China International Auto Products Expo, an annual auto show event that has been held in Beijing for seven years, will move to Shanghai this year for the first time, becoming the city's brand new National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai)'s first show.