A CEREMONY marking the one-month countdown to the Nov. 18-19 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen was held at the UpperHills shopping mall in Futian District on Saturday, with organizers calling on residents to help welcome visitors from around the world.

The event, themed “With Open Arms, We Welcome APEC,” urged people across the city to take part in preparations, emphasizing that every resident has a role in welcoming guests.

Organizers launched a citywide signature campaign at the event. Residents from different walks of life across the city signed a pledge to welcome visitors, use greener transportation, take part in volunteer activities and help make the city warm and welcoming to international guests. So far, 2 million residents have signed the pledge across the city.

Last week, Shenzhen launched a green travel campaign, encouraging residents to drive less and use public transportation during the workweek of the APEC meetings, Nov. 16-20.

Companies are being encouraged to adopt flexible work arrangements to ease commuting pressure and consider eligible employees’ preferences when scheduling paid annual leave.

Applications for the green travel campaign opened at 10 a.m. Thursday. By Saturday noon, more than 270,000 people had registered, pledging to commute by public transport during the APEC meetings in November.

(SD News)