SHANGHAI - Ties between Taipei and Shanghai are growing closer in the lead up to Expo Shanghai 2010, following historic exchanges between top-level officials and businessmen from both sides of the Strait.

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A delegation led by Taipei's Deputy Mayor Lee Yong-ping arrived in Shanghai last Friday to promote Taipei Cultural Week, which will be observed here from June 3 to 28.

The deputy mayor's visit to Shanghai follows a trip to Taipei earlier this month by Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng and a 200-member delegation. The four-day visit was undertaken to present a roadshow for Expo Shanghai 2010 and received massive publicity in Taiwan.

Taipei Cultural Week will showcase Taiwan's myriad cultures and present an historical view of the island.

More than 100 performers will stage some 100 cultural activities during the event, including films, cultural forums, performances, and art and documentary exhibitions.

More than 300,000 people from Taiwan live in Shanghai, one reason why Han was welcomed so enthusiastically in Taipei. His warm personality and good looks quickly won the hearts of many on the island.

During his visit, the Shanghai mayor gave an enthralling presentation of Expo 2010, along with a detailed look at the history of World Expo, to more than 1,000 Taiwan high school students. He invited the students to visit Shanghai during the six-month event and gave away 1,600 Expo tickets as enticement.

"Shanghai Expo received massive coverage during Mayor Han Zheng's visit, which made it a really good promotion for the event, especially because he was so sincere," said Yeh Yuite, president of Shanghai Longfong Food Co Ltd, who has part of the Shanghai delegation.

Before Han's visit, not many people in Taiwan were aware of Expo Shanghai. Their only source of information came from friends or family members who live in Shanghai, according to Yeh, who is also honorary president of the Shanghai Taiwan Entrepreneur Association, which hosted a lunch for Han in Taipei.

"I look forward to attending Shanghai Expo and being a host to showcase the best of Shanghai and China to overseas visitors," said Yeh. One of Yeh's subsidiaries, Long Chu Food Co Ltd, will be responsible for group catering during Expo.

So far, Taiwan businessman Hsieh Tsaiyu has organized two group visits to Expo, but there will certainly be more people wanting to visit Shanghai between May and October, he said. The two groups will be made up of Hsieh's friends and family members, with about 15 people in each group.

"The two must-visit places for me are the China pavilion and the Taiwan pavilion," Hsieh said.

"I went to Beijing during the Olympics in 2008 and this time I'll be visiting Shanghai," said Chyi Luu, general manager of a hotpot restaurant and elder brother of Chyi Chin, a Taiwan pop singer who was popular during the 1990s.

"This grand event is a stage for China to show off its development over the past two decades," Chyi said.

Shanghai is the first city from a developing country to host World Expo. As many as 242 nations and international organizations have confirmed their participation. The event is expected to attract 70 million visitors from China and around the world.