CRI听力:Italian Expo Opens to Visitors

A total of around 150 countries and organizations are participating in the Expo Milano 2015, with 55 self-built pavilions on display.

This years' event gives priority to agriculture, grains and food.

Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, explains the ambitions of this year's expo.

"Let's try together to challenge the contradictions. Let's say that tomorrow starts today, starting from the contradictions of a planet that needs to be fed, but that is living the unfair and absurd imbalance of one billion people who are starving and dying and one billion people who are suffering for excessive or wrong nutrition."

In the expo, the exhibitors hope to display their technologies as responses to an important need: to guarantee safe, healthy and sufficient food for everyone, along with respecting the planet and its natural balance.

Under the theme of food, this year's event offers the opportunity to taste culinary delights from host Italy and other participant countries, while exploring the beauty of agri-food and gastronomic traditions around the world.

This year, China, for the first time, opens a self-built pavilion in a universal exhibition hosted abroad.

Chinese President Xi Jinping shows his warm welcome to all visitors to the China pavilion while addressing a speech upon the opening of the pavilion.

"China attaches great importance to the issues of agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and deems them as a top priority in the entire work of the State. Now, as China is vigorously promoting the modernization of agriculture, it would like to exchange technology and know-how with all countries in agriculture, in jointly maintaining food security of the world, and in jointly promoting progress of human civilization."

The China Pavilion, with a theme of "Land of Hope, Food for Life", aims to show the best of how Chinese people fed themselves for thousands of years and their keen love for their homeland.

People can learn about China's time-honored agricultural history, scientific and technological achievements, and rich catering culture in the pavilion.

At the same time, outside the Expo pavilions, a protest against this year' event takes place in the heart of Milan.

After the official opening of the Expo, about 500 people, both Italians and foreigners have conducted attacks, which have seen cars torched, a bank window smashed, and garbage bins set on fire.

This year's Expo runs from May 1 to October 31.

For CRI, I'm Huang Shan.