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US presence at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai strengthens China ties
By Zhou Hanmin |
April 16, 2012, Monday
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EDITOR'S note:
This article is adapted from the author's new book, "Ten Years: Expo & Me."
ON July 10, 2009, the US signed the Participation Contract of Expo 2010 Shanghai with the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination.
It was a moment of historical significance and articulated the responsible attitude towards the world exposition by the US government, which had retreated from the Bureau of International Expositions for eight years.
Back in 2001, when I was fresh to serve as Chinese Delegate to the BIE residing in Paris, I was bewildered by the news that April that the US government had announced its withdrawal from The Convention Relating to International Exhibitions.
The US used to be a patron of the World Expositions. However, the Organizer of Expo 1984 New Orleans announced bankruptcy one month ahead of the conclusion of the event, making it the last world fair held in that country and the only Expo that went bankruptin Expo history.
Later in 1991, a legislative bill was passed by the US Congress, stipulating that the US National Pavilion will not be able to apply for government money to fund its construction and operation - all financial support would depend upon private business and non-governmental organizations.
Following this, the US was absent from Expo 1992 in Sevilla, Spain; Expo 1998 in Lisbon, Portugal, and Expo 2000 Hanover, Germany. Finally, when Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan, was on the verge of opening, the US announced that it would participate, to reciprocate Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi's decision to send troops to Iraq. The pavilion was built with money from Toyota's US operation and its performance received a fairly unsatisfactory response.
It would be remarkable if the US would participate in Expo 2010, as it would be conducive to branding the US with a new image; boosting Sino-American cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region; and building up friendship between the peoples of the two nations.
Remarkable legacies
On the other side of things, when the US previously hosted a World Expo, China, as a participant, had always left remarkable legacies.
In the St Louis World's Fair of 1904, the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) government built an individual pavilion. It was a "China Village" glowing with an effusive national aroma, corralled by walls, adorned with an archway at the entrance, with a six- or seven-storied pagoda and Chinese-style terraces and pavilions decorating the inside. It proved to be a crowd pleaser.
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915 saw Chinese exhibits accept a total of 1,211 awards. Expo 1926 Philadelphia granted "Changzhou Comb" the Gold Medal.
After the People's Republic of China and the US established formal diplomatic relations in 1979, the host of 1982 Knoxville International Energy Exposition extended an invitation to China. There China returned to the stage of world expositions, and there China shone throughout the event. Above all, China participated in Expo 1984 New Orleans, which turned out to be the latest World Expo held within the US to date, and presented a full-fledged performance.
These examples should illustrate that World Expositions have a propensity to facilitate friendly exchanges between the Chinese and American peoples. That is why US participation became one of the focal points when I was on my tenure in charge of participant recruitment with the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination.
Our government extended the official invitation, signed by Premier Wen Jiabao, to all member states of the United Nations, including the United States of America, on March 22, 2006. Afterwards, I twice visited to the US and made contact with officials from two administrations.
The first trip was in 2007 when my colleagues and I delivered a comprehensive introduction on Expo 2010 to the administration of President George W. Bush.
Dilemma
At that time, even though the US government had embarked on a fund-raising campaign, they were stuck in a dilemma: on one side, the Congress had stipulated that government funding for participation in a World Expo was not permitted; and on the other side, the absence of the US presence would negatively affect Sino-US relations.
The choice they faced was between waiting until sufficient funding was obtained before announcing participation, or first announcing participation in the hopes that publicity and awareness might help raise money. But at that time the US government was estimating a US$85 million budget for the project. The first round of bidding ended in failure.
Mid-September 2008 saw me traveling for the second time to Washington, DC, for a meeting with Mr Christopher Hill, then Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
At the time of this meeting, 177 countries and 44 international organizations had confirmed their presence at Expo 2010. I explained to Mr Hill that Expo 2010 Shanghai would be a unique opportunity for enhancing the friendly relations between the citizens of our two nations.
Mr Hill responded that the US government attached importance to the Expo. He spoke highly of the smooth progress of the event's preparatory campaign and said the US government would certainly make an all-out effort to support the US National Pavilion preparations and was prepared to take every opportunity to explain to the American private sector the significance of US participation. Soon afterwards, a team headed by Mr Nick Winslow won the bid and flew to Shanghai without delay for a detailed discussion with the Expo Organizer on the participation issues.
To be continued.
The author is a professor of law and a Standing Committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Committee of the CPPCC.
This article is adapted from the author's new book, "Ten Years: Expo & Me."
ON July 10, 2009, the US signed the Participation Contract of Expo 2010 Shanghai with the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination.
It was a moment of historical significance and articulated the responsible attitude towards the world exposition by the US government, which had retreated from the Bureau of International Expositions for eight years.
Back in 2001, when I was fresh to serve as Chinese Delegate to the BIE residing in Paris, I was bewildered by the news that April that the US government had announced its withdrawal from The Convention Relating to International Exhibitions.
The US used to be a patron of the World Expositions. However, the Organizer of Expo 1984 New Orleans announced bankruptcy one month ahead of the conclusion of the event, making it the last world fair held in that country and the only Expo that went bankruptin Expo history.
Later in 1991, a legislative bill was passed by the US Congress, stipulating that the US National Pavilion will not be able to apply for government money to fund its construction and operation - all financial support would depend upon private business and non-governmental organizations.
Following this, the US was absent from Expo 1992 in Sevilla, Spain; Expo 1998 in Lisbon, Portugal, and Expo 2000 Hanover, Germany. Finally, when Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan, was on the verge of opening, the US announced that it would participate, to reciprocate Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi's decision to send troops to Iraq. The pavilion was built with money from Toyota's US operation and its performance received a fairly unsatisfactory response.
It would be remarkable if the US would participate in Expo 2010, as it would be conducive to branding the US with a new image; boosting Sino-American cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region; and building up friendship between the peoples of the two nations.
Remarkable legacies
On the other side of things, when the US previously hosted a World Expo, China, as a participant, had always left remarkable legacies.
In the St Louis World's Fair of 1904, the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) government built an individual pavilion. It was a "China Village" glowing with an effusive national aroma, corralled by walls, adorned with an archway at the entrance, with a six- or seven-storied pagoda and Chinese-style terraces and pavilions decorating the inside. It proved to be a crowd pleaser.
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915 saw Chinese exhibits accept a total of 1,211 awards. Expo 1926 Philadelphia granted "Changzhou Comb" the Gold Medal.
After the People's Republic of China and the US established formal diplomatic relations in 1979, the host of 1982 Knoxville International Energy Exposition extended an invitation to China. There China returned to the stage of world expositions, and there China shone throughout the event. Above all, China participated in Expo 1984 New Orleans, which turned out to be the latest World Expo held within the US to date, and presented a full-fledged performance.
These examples should illustrate that World Expositions have a propensity to facilitate friendly exchanges between the Chinese and American peoples. That is why US participation became one of the focal points when I was on my tenure in charge of participant recruitment with the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination.
Our government extended the official invitation, signed by Premier Wen Jiabao, to all member states of the United Nations, including the United States of America, on March 22, 2006. Afterwards, I twice visited to the US and made contact with officials from two administrations.
The first trip was in 2007 when my colleagues and I delivered a comprehensive introduction on Expo 2010 to the administration of President George W. Bush.
Dilemma
At that time, even though the US government had embarked on a fund-raising campaign, they were stuck in a dilemma: on one side, the Congress had stipulated that government funding for participation in a World Expo was not permitted; and on the other side, the absence of the US presence would negatively affect Sino-US relations.
The choice they faced was between waiting until sufficient funding was obtained before announcing participation, or first announcing participation in the hopes that publicity and awareness might help raise money. But at that time the US government was estimating a US$85 million budget for the project. The first round of bidding ended in failure.
Mid-September 2008 saw me traveling for the second time to Washington, DC, for a meeting with Mr Christopher Hill, then Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
At the time of this meeting, 177 countries and 44 international organizations had confirmed their presence at Expo 2010. I explained to Mr Hill that Expo 2010 Shanghai would be a unique opportunity for enhancing the friendly relations between the citizens of our two nations.
Mr Hill responded that the US government attached importance to the Expo. He spoke highly of the smooth progress of the event's preparatory campaign and said the US government would certainly make an all-out effort to support the US National Pavilion preparations and was prepared to take every opportunity to explain to the American private sector the significance of US participation. Soon afterwards, a team headed by Mr Nick Winslow won the bid and flew to Shanghai without delay for a detailed discussion with the Expo Organizer on the participation issues.
To be continued.
The author is a professor of law and a Standing Committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Committee of the CPPCC.
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