BRUSSELS -?The Shanghai World Expo is "a perfect opportunity to build on and further strengthen the good relations" between the European Union and China, an EU official said Thursday.

"The European Union is China's main economic partner and we have built a strategic partnership with the Chinese government over the years," Viviane Reding, vice president of the EU Commission, told Xinhua in an interview.

The Shanghai World Expo, the largest event of the decade in China except for the Beijing Olympics, was expected to attract 70 million visitors, Reding said.

On July 1, Belgium will assume the EU presidency, and the Belgium pavilion at the Shanghai Expo Park will formally become the EU pavilion.

The pavilion will offer "a unique opportunity to bring Europe closer to citizens," not only EU citizens, Reding said.

It is also "a perfect opportunity to build on and further strenghten the good relations" with China, she said.

A series of programs will be held in the EU pavilion to display an "Intelligent Europe," Reding said.

The programs will also introduce the EU's member states, its history, values and objectives, and demonstrate its economic and social achievements, she said.