The Expo is "a celebration of human achievements with the goal of inspiring present and future generations to pursue not only the ideals, but also the actions for 'Better City, Better Life'," Loscertales said.
The six-month Expo will "not only educate, entertain and fascinate visitors, but will spark the energies to build the cities of the future on some of its foundations," he said in his speech.
Visitors, from home and abroad, are thronging to the gates of the Expo park, waiting for security checks in long queues. Around 300,000 tickets have been sold or distributed for the opening day, organizers said.
Covering an area of 5.28 square kilometers along both sides of the Huangpu River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, the Expo is expected to attract 70 million visitors from home and abroad.