China is all set to promote an ad worded "Made with China" in the coming Formula One championship in Shanghai, with an aim to target an audience of 600 million worldwide, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

The ad, which will have "Made with China" written in English with the Chinese translation below, will be placed on a stand of the Chinese Grand Prix of 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship (F1), to be held from April 16 to 18.
The ad is aimed at boosting the image of Chinese goods around the world, said Yu Lu, director of department of foreign trade of the Ministry of Commerce.

According to Yu, this is the first time the Ministry of Commerce will advertise for Chinese products. The same ad that aired on CNN last November was paid for by four affiliated industry groups of the ministry.

A full view of the ad is expected to be visible on TV some 60 times during the three-day event, she said.

An ad for the Shanghai World Expo was placed on the same stand during the Shanghai F1 in 2008 and received a good response, which is one of the major reasons the ministry decided to use the championship as a platform to advertise Chinese goods, Yu said.

"Even though the still ad is simple and without a voice, it will reach a global audience," she said, adding that another reason is that the 30-second "Made with China" ad on CNN generated a lot of positive response.

The ad on CNN carried the hook "Made in China: Made with the world", promoting the message of "co-operation and participation" and highlighting the fact that Chinese companies work with overseas firms to produce quality products.

In the ad, a series of goods carrying the "Made with China" tag were shown being manufactured with the help of top foreign firms.

According to an online survey on Sina.com, 97.5 percent of respondents said they liked the advertisement.

"(After watching the ad) I felt China is working with the world to cooperate and advance shared wealth. Overall it (the ad) is positive and upbeat," said Eric Warner, an American student in Beijing.

Yu said it is very likely that the ministry will use the ad to promote Chinese products in the future.

The ministry has had some negative feedback to the ad, such as the lack of Chinese elements, some of which are reasonable, she said.

"Advertising is only a subsidiary method for long-term brand building. The essential solution is to guarantee product quality," she said.