Expo 2010 — a six-month event starting May 1 in Shanghai, the largest city in China — will showcase the recent economic development and internationalization of the world's most populous country, once a revolutionary nation that directly challenged the Western political and economic order. The event's theme of "Better City — Better Life" expresses China's hope of improving it people's quality of life.
The economic and social situation surrounding Shanghai Expo, which comes so soon after the Beijing 2008 Olympics, is somewhat like a replay of Japan's position during its period of high economic growth. Japan's gross domestic product grew at an average rate of about 9 percent from fiscal 1956 to fiscal 1973. It hosted the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964 and Osaka Expo in 1970.
From 2003 to 2007, China's economy enjoyed two-digit growth. It grew 9 percent in 2008, the year of the global financial crisis, and 8.7 percent in 2009. China will soon replace Japan as the world's second-largest economy, behind the United States.
A record 242 countries and international organizations will take part in Shanghai Expo. China is hoping to greet 70 million visitors and top the record 64.2 million who attended Osaka Expo. Chinese President Hu Jintao said Shanghai Expo will highlight some 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and display China's achievements since the reform policies of 1978. He also said the event also will contribute to the full recovery of the global economy.
Although China's presence in the world economy is indisputable, China has many internal problems and contradictions. The economic gap between rich and poor is expanding. Ethnic tensions are high. China also has human rights problems, including suppression of free speech. It is hoped that Shanghai Expo will serve as a chance for China to make a strong turn toward achieving both balanced economic growth and positive progress on social and humanitarian issues.