Shanghai mayor Han Zheng says he hopes for a breakthrough this year in his city's plans to build a Disney theme park, with State Council approval awaited.
Mr Han gave the first official confirmation yesterday that the city was making preliminary preparations for the development of a Disneyland.
His comments came after a panel discussion involving the Shanghai delegation at the National People's Congress in Beijing.
Asked when work would start, Mr Han said: 'We have to wait for the approval of the central government. There is hope that there will be a breakthrough in 2006.'
He said Shanghai had wanted to build a Disney theme park for a long time. 'Shanghai has the conditions to build such a theme park, and preliminary preparations for all aspects are being carried out. But in the end, it is up to the State Council,' Mr Han said.
Responding to a question about whether a Shanghai Disneyland would become a competitor for Hong Kong, Mr Han said competition would be orderly and beneficial for each city's development.