China Eastern Airlines (CEA) one of the country's largest carriers, signed a deal with the co-ordinating bureau of the Shanghai World Expo in Beijing Tuesday becoming its first partner for the event.

The partnership will result in CEA providing some funding for the event and passenger flight services for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

The deal also marked the formal beginning of a marketing campaign covering sponsorship, licensing and commercial services at Shanghai World Expo venues, said the city's vice mayor, Yang Xiong. He's also vice director of the event's executive committee.

The marketing campaign and partnerships are designed to help cover at least some of the 30 billion yuan (US$3.75 billion) cost of the event..

Sources with the Shanghai World Expo said they'd be partnering around 10 to 15 organizations in the aviation, telecommunications and hospitality fields.

The Shanghai World Expo, to be held between May 1 and October 31, 2010, is expected to draw 70 million visitors from home and abroad.

CEA has pledged to provide quality services at the event and to publicize the theme of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo -- better city, better life--said the company's president Li Fenghua at the contract signing ceremony.

An airplane carrying the logo of the Shanghai World Expo left Beijing's Capital International Airport for Shanghai at the end of the ceremony.

One of the three largest state-owned aviation groups, CEA is listed in Hong Kong, New York and Shanghai. It operates more than 400 international and domestic routes.

Being invited to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo -- the Expos are often referred to as the 'Economic Olympics' -- are two hundred countries and international organizations are being invited to participate.

(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2006)