In his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday prior to the trial operations on Saturday, Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger said that Shanghai Disneyland will strive to ensure "safe and pleasing service of high quality" to its park visitors.
President Xi congratulated Iger for the project and the incoming official opening of the park on June 16. The project is the first Disney park in China and was approved by Xi as Shanghai's Party chief in 2007. The entire park is an investment by both Walt Disney Co and Shanghai Shendi Group Co.
Xi said that this park would further boost China-US cooperation and open new ways on how cooperation can be met by both countries. The Chinese government also pledged its support to any effort that would bolster cooperation between both countries. He even added that he hopes to see a bilateral investment treaty between both countries signed in the future.
Iger also said "What the Walt Disney Co has achieved in China I think is a perfect example of cooperation, but it also came after years of understanding, years of building up deep respect for one another and appreciation for each other's interests. I support many efforts to strengthen US-based companies' cooperation in China. I am particularly a supporter of the bilateral investment treaty."
Experts such as research fellow Jia Xiudong from the China Institute of International Studies stressed that it is a win-win cooperation for both nations with the creation of Shanghai Disneyland. It provides money, convenience for Chinese tourists as they no longer need to travel to visit Disneyland, and cultural promotion.
