Quote: WSJ on US Participation in 2010 Expo

“But when American exceptionalism comes up against Chinese exceptionalism, something’s got to give.”

The WSJ’s Denis McMahon and Aaron Back explains the imperative of the Americans raising enough money to build a pavilion for next year’s Shanghai 2010 World Expo. Unlike other countries who build their showcases with government money, a 1991 law passed by the United States Congress forbids the use of public government funds for events like the 2010 Expo, thereby forcing any American representation to rely on private money (think corporations and individuals). As a result, the Yanks simply haven’t had a pavilion in recent Expos and were in dangers of not having one yet again for next year.

Clearly, the global financial crisis hasn’t made it easy for U.S. firms put their hands in their pockets, particularly considering there are better ways to use their advertising budgets. However unintentional, thought, the absence of the world’s largest economy from next year’s event would inevitably be perceived as a slight by the Chinese organizers. “An undercurrent of ill-will” is what Frank Lavin, former commerce department official and chairman of the USA Pavilion steering committee, predicted when he spoke to The Journal back in April.

The concern hasn’t been lost on the Obama administration, with Secretary of State Clinton, in addition to Locke, throwing her weight behind the effort. In a March letter to Amcham in Shanghai, Clinton said U.S. participation is “crucial” and will “demonstrate America’s commitment to…a forward looking, positive relationship with China.”

In an era of instant communications, Expo is in many ways an anachronism. Why do you need a foreign government to come build in your city a projection of how they want you to view their country? But that’s not really what Shanghai 2010 is about. It’s about China projecting itself to the rest of the world. So from the vantage of Shanghai, participation isn’t optional.

The US Pavilion is estimated to require 61 million USD to build, with only about half of that money raised so far. The WSJ noted that US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke’s speech in Beijing at a lunch on Wednesday apparently moved a Chevron executive to pledge 5 million USD. Are they still selling toy cars? Are people still buying and collecting them?

Image: AP