A Shanghai Disney park could create rivalry with Hong Kong

A city official said the municipal government and Disney had organised a team to research the plan.

A Shanghai park would be Disney's third Asian centre after Tokyo and Hong Kong, which is still under construction.

Shanghai, which wants to attract more tourists, is already building a Universal Studios theme park, and is also to host the 2010 World Expo.

Chinese officials said the Shanghai Disneyland would be built in the city's business district, Pudong.

Li Wei, an official with the Shanghai government's information office, was quoted by the official China Daily as saying 2010 would be the date for the opening of a Shanghai Disneyland, providing that talks between the city and the US company went smoothly.

"Once the team reach a consensus on relevant requirements, the Shanghai municipal government will formally raise the theme park plan to the central government for approval," he said.

Under construction

But the plan could cause tension between Shanghai and its great commercial rival, Hong Kong.

A Disney theme park costing $1.8bn is already under construction, and there has been concern in Hong Kong that a Shanghai base for Mickey Mouse could provide too much regional competition.

A Disney spokeswoman based in Hong Kong, Irene Chan, said that the Hong Kong project was the company's "immediate plan".

But she said another theme park in China was possible by the end of the decade.