VIENNA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Austrian business leaders expect the country's presence at the Shanghai Expo to lead to a significant export expansion to Asia, Austrian media reported Monday.
"The Shanghai World Expo surpasses all previous expos," Christoph Leitl, president of Austrian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was quoted by the online newspaper Austrian Independent as saying.
Leitl said although the World Expo had concluded, work for Austrian politicians and businessmen just began, because the country hoped to export significantly more to China and other countries in Asia in the coming years.
"We want to double the value of our exports to China in the long run," Economy Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner said, adding he was convinced many newly created business contacts would lead to an "export boom" to "one of the best future markets."
Austria opened its national pavilion during the expo. More than 100 Austrian companies and educational and academic institutions had attended the exhibitions in Shanghai, some of which belonged to the culture and tourism industry, while others came from high technology industries such as environmental protection, new energy, transportation and urban construction.
During his visit to the Austrian pavilion in May, Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said China had played a key role in the development of the Austrian economy, and would be even more important in the future.
