The United States today signed the participation contract with the 2010 Shanghai World Expo organizer to officially confirm it will attend.

The US Pavilion will showcase sustainability, teamwork, health, and struggle and achievements.

Jose Villarreal, Commissioner General for the US participation to the Expo, said that United States is happy to participate in Expo 2010 and this will boost pavilion construction. He said that he is committed to building an outstanding pavilion to showcase the best of the US.

Villarreal said that his hometown St Antonio city in Texas was a World Expo site in 1968 and the Tower of the Americas was preserved there as a reminder of significance of World Expo.

Hong Hao, director of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, said that China and US have seen increasing trading, cultural, scientific and educational exchanges over the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Hong also said that the Expo organizers are very aware of the world's trust and support for China and Shanghai and the Expo organizers will cooperate to build a US pavilion showcasing wisdom and innovative US culture.

Beatrice Camp, the US consul general in Shanghai, said this year is the 30th anniversary of China-US diplomatic ties and she believe the US will have more exchanges, cooperation, visits and dialogues with China during China's first hosting of World Expo.

She said that she is looking forward to 2010 and a outstanding US pavilion showcasing US's best for China and Shanghai.

Background:

It had been more than three years since Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sent an Expo invitation to the US government, Hong Hao, director general of the Shanghai World Expo Coordination, said.

The US had actually begun efforts to attend the 2010 event in March, 2008 when the State Department signed a letter of intent with the US Pavilion non-profit group, Shanghai Expo 2010 Inc, to raise funds privately for its Expo showcase.

The commissioner general was appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton early this month, and this was widely regarded as a strong indication that the US would attend.

Attending Expo 2010 will be "a perfect opportunity to highlight US innovation, particularly in environmental initiatives, and to share ideas with countries from around the world on ways to create better cities and communities for all our people," Clinton said.