2010 World Expo

We start to hear a lot about the 2010 World Expo to be held in Shanghai from May 1^st to October 31^st 2010. World Expo is another year event considered as a unique showcase for each country to promote its recent advances in technology and foster worldwide economical ties. First World expo was in London in 1851 and the last one was in 2008 in Seville.

Each World Expo is developed around a theme. Shanghai theme will be of “Better City, Better Life” and will focus on improvement of the quality of life in the world’s cities

In American newspapers, Shanghai expo is presented as “a unique occasion for the United States to promote business, culture, and values in one of China’s most dynamic cities and to foster an even stronger friendship between the American and Chinese peoples. It should host 70 million visitors, among which 60 million from China. More than 175 countries will be present through a country pavilion’’.

However, the bill to pay for the United States to get a Pavilion is 61 millions dollars. It will be 50 millions Euros for France.

USA was one of the last countries to confirm its participation. Indeed, it is prohibited in the United States to spend Federal funds to participate in expositions such as Shanghai 2010 World Expo. So, its pavilion had to be funded by private and non-profit funds.

In March, with 40 millions raised coming form a dozen companies including 3M, General Electric, Dell, Pepsi, the United States confirmed its participation.

This is where we can start to think about it: Is it the best and most decent time to spend such a huge amount of money while worldwide economy is ruined by the economical crisis?

After the Olympic games in Beijing, the World Expo in Shanghai is the second worldwide event in China and a unique opportunity to overcome economical crisis.

Personally, I have a reserved opinion on the pertinence of this event in the current economical situation and how it can help world to strengthen and expand economical relationships between countries.

From an economical standpoint, China already drags a lot of our economy with billions dollars of exportation of goods not balanced by import.

To what extent will that be beneficial for United States and other countries? I don’t know. It will certainly help China to face the crisis. I see more opportunities and benefits for China as for the participants. Indeed, preparation will give thousands jobs to China, tourism will be boosted, and infrastructure like transport, hotels in and around the city developed for the occasion will benefit to Shanghai on the long term.

Is that fair to ask 61 million dollars to participate? It would have been reasonable to reconsider the project and the contribution asked.

I hope the effort deployed by each country in the current circumstances will be beneficial from a political standpoint by relaxing relationships when it is needed and that the theme “Better city, Better life” will rally all nations in the world around a central motto.