Jump to full article: Shanghai Daily (cn), 2009-07-21
Author: Wang Xiang
Intro: THE Shanghai World Expo 2010 bureau has rejected a 200 million yuan (US$29.27 million) donation from Shanghai Tobacco Group so as not to go against China's anti-smoking efforts and taint the healthy image of the world event.
The Expo authority originally agreed to the donation on May 7 and the money was supposed to be used to partially fund construction of China Pavilion, according to the bureau's Website.
However, the donation soon aroused concern among health experts who said accepting the group's donation was not in line with the bureau's pledge to offer a "green and smoke-free" Expo.
More than 20 experts issued a joint letter in Beijing this month to call on the Expo authority to turn down the tobacco donation. They said acceptance would violate the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a worldwide paper issued by the World Health Organization in 2003.
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