Abstract: Shanghai Expo is not only a top international exhibition, but also a big event on the diplomatic arena as well. In the current situation, China especially needs to apply various and efficient public diplomacy for providing the world with more knowledge about China and with the time-honored culture and values of China, for dismissing the misunderstanding and for cultivating an objective and amicable environment of international opinions, for which the Expo has offered an excellent platform. Now that half of the exhibition period of Shanghai Expo has passed, the public diplomacy is in its climax, which brought about tremendous achievement in innovating and developing the public diplomacy mechanisms with Chinese characteristics and in stepping up China's public diplomacy in terms of contents and practice, though follow-up works have yet to be further intensified and improved.

Shanghai Expo is opening in the context that the world financial crisis speeds up transformation of international order, countries are accelerating strategic adjustment and frequent interacting with each other in the new situation, and the cooperation and competition coexist. Shanghai Expo is not only a top international exhibition, but also a big event on the diplomatic arena as well. Shanghai Expo is a good chance for China to demonstrate its international image, economic prowess and to step up China's political and cultural influence. Shanghai Expo is an important stage for China to launch a public diplomacy campaign.

In fact, by the moment that China decided to bid for Expo, public diplomacy has begun to play an important role in the course of China's successful bidding for the Expo. Since the opening the Expo, the Expo-based public diplomacy has evolved with great achievement in exchanges and interactions that are multi-tiered, multi-field and multi-themed and involve government, civilian and are bilateral, multilateral, formal, informal, political, economic, R&D, cultural. In a deeper perspective, Expo-based public diplomacy has exerted a far-reaching impact on China's general diplomacy.

I. Expo Public Diplomacy: Tasks and Goals

The goal of the Expo-based public diplomacy is set out in the light of the international environment around China and the general goal of China's foreign strategy and the theme of Expo 2010. The current international system is brewing with a profound adjustment. The international financial crisis has brought about systemic and strategic impacts on international geopolitics and further evoked a historical change in China's relationship with the outside world that pushed China to the center of the world arena and made China a new focus of the international attention. On the one hand, the developing countries at large are conceiving a "big power expectation" on China and the Western developed countries are conceiving a "big power requirement" on China, which renders a more complicated international environment for China. On the other hand, given China's self-alleged "big power responsibility", China has to engage in international affairs and the transformation of international order, to set up a new "national image", and to cultivate a propitious international environment for China's future development. As a result, China's diplomacy is being transformed in terms of goals, ideas and approaches as well.

In recent years, mindful of the general goal of foreign strategy of engaging in global governance and building "harmonious world", Chinese government continued to put forward concrete goals "to make China politically more influential, economically more competitive, more friendly in its image, and morally more appealing."  Besides, aside from conventional diplomacies based on geographic areas and states, new diplomatic realms are to be emphasized, such as humanity, security, energy, public diplomacy and so on, of which public diplomacy is being particularly stressed on to become a new stimulator of Chinese diplomacy in recent years.

The most outstanding difference of Chinese public diplomacy from those of other states is that China is not only set to pursue and maintain its own national interests, but also transcend its own national interests to combine its own interests with the common interests of the human race, to join all the other countries to build harmonious world and regions and to make contribution to the peace and development of the world.

China's is a comprehensive public diplomacy with central government leading the local governments and with domestic requirements preceding external affairs. Domestically, as China is increasingly associating and interacting with the outside world, the public is increasingly concerned with foreign affairs and the public opinions are diversifying, it becomes one of the priorities of public diplomacy to push for benign interaction between government departments and the public, to construct a sound and good foundation consisting of the public, and to step up the public's   awareness of the public diplomacy. Externally, China needs to various and efficient communication means to provide the world with the knowledge about China and with the time-honored cultures and values of China, to dismiss misunderstanding and to cultivate an objective and amicable environment of international opinions, for which the Expo has offered an excellent platform. By hosting the Expo, China will demonstrate the institutional advantage, i.e., mobilizing vast resources to work on large program, China will exhibit its soft-power, the ability of withstanding changes and the potential of national development, China will demonstrate self-confidence and generosity, the wisdom of a big power, and China will show its will and sincerity to join the world and regions in sharing common development and the opportunity of development and co-creating prosperity.

According to the Chinese President Hu Jintao's speech during his inspection of the under-construction of World Expo park in Shanghai on Jan 15, 2010, the Expo public diplomacy can be summed up in four points as follows.

We have to, first of all, do a good job of foreign affairs works, including receptions of international guests. Second, we have to ensure an efficient and effective PR work; create a civilized, happy and peaceful atmosphere, to let know of Chinese government and people's support of the Shanghai Expo. Third, by the exhibition of 5000 years' Chinese history with a splendid civilization and 60 years of new China, especially the 30 years of reform and opening-up with tremendous achievement, and by promoting China's economic and cultural exchanges with countries across the world, we have to promote mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese people and peoples across the world. Fourth, we have to translate the invisible resources brought about by Expo into realistic advantage of promoting economic and social development and promoting the world economic recovery.

By looking at the evolution of China's public diplomacy, the Expo public diplomacy is also aimed at: drawing on experience of launching omni-directional public diplomacy by practice of operating large international activities; innovating, improving and integrating various coordination mechanisms of public diplomacy resources; cultivating a talent pool of public diplomacy that are in good command of policy, familiar with operation and good at communication; and stepping up China's public diplomacy theory to lay down the basis of building the public diplomacy system with Chinese characteristics.

II. Practice of Expo Public Diplomacy

1, Since the start of the Shanghai Expo, public diplomacy has approached its climax with the scale and level rising to an all time high, which features as follows:

(1) Diplomacy is conducted frequently and with climaxes one after another in various forms, such as inter-governmental, people to people, government to people, bilateral, multilateral, formal, informal, multi-layered, multi-domain forms. Since the Expo  started formally, bright spots consisting of opening ceremony, national pavilion day, honor days for international organizations, special days for urban best practice areas and so on, have been gradually and orderly unfolded, which have fostered a festival atmosphere, expanded the conduit of public diplomacy and boosted China's international influence.

(2) Multi-thematic and multifarious exchanges involving political, economic, technological and cultural exchanges close up the distance between China and the world, adds new ingredients to China's public diplomacy and incarnates the new development of the public diplomacy. To perceive with the benefit of hindsight, the goal of public diplomacy of this Expo has transcended the conventional political themes and interstate relations, which actually covers heads of state, government officials, inter-government and non-government organizations, associations of artist, traditional and new media and tens of millions of individual visitors of all the nations including those without diplomatic ties. The theme represents the green and environment protection, which reflects the important attention the Chinese government attaches to global issues. The goal of the public diplomacy is pursued in a gentler and more public-friendly manner. The public diplomacy has at once promoted exchanges and cooperation and exhibited China's image of "opening, harmony and progress".

(3) The Expo public diplomacy is promoted by innovation of mechanisms in that collaboration, complementation, and interactions are applied among central and local foreign services, government officials, experts, scholars, and those within and without Expo Park. Under the leadership of Shanghai Expo Organizing Committee, Shanghai 2010 World Expo Executive Committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Expo Foreign Affairs Work Headquarter does its best to integrate various resources, looks for support of local governments and experts, and keeps various activities and programs in order and alive.

(2) Moving stories taking place in Expo have boosted the national image of China that treating people as equal and Chinese people being warm and amicable. For examples, President Hu Jintao took time off his busy schedule to rush to the ward of Maltese President in Shanghai who was injured when he was supposed to attend the opening ceremony of the Expo. President Hu had soon sent a special plane for taking Maltese President home. The Maltese President and the Maltese were deeply moved and the story was highly appraised by the international society. Reggae pianist Andrae Vladimir Marsh from Jamaica was diagnosed of cancer during his performance in Expo before the staff of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, Shanghai International Culture Association and numerous anonymous philanthropic people had donated for him, which made him feel the traditional virtue of the Chinese saying "when one is in trouble, all will come to the help". In addition, of 189 countries of Expo participants, there are 21 countries that have not established diplomatic ties with China, though they are treated as equal as with diplomatic ties by the Expo organizer in all activities in Expo, which has advanced the image of China and enhanced the understanding and friendship.

(3) Foreign affairs resources of the provinces and Yangtze River delta are fully exploited; enterprises participated in pavilion days and thematic forums; governments of Shanghai districts and counties participated in pavilions days and receptions of the high level foreign elites and representatives of friendship cities, which became a bright spot of the Expo public diplomacy. These measures have expanded the Expo impact, amplified the Expo effect, raised the awareness of the local governments and enterprises in participating in public diplomacy, and mobilized the initiatives of the districts and counties, which brought in business opportunities to the districts and counties as well as alleviated the pressure to the Expo organizers. Some districts and counties have seized the opportunity and made positive progress in forging international business ties.

(4) The Expo organizers adhere to the principle of seeking truth from facts and regarding the people as most valuable, do all their best to provide tourists with convenience and rectify shortcomings in time. The environment and order in the park have been increasingly improved and all the operational mechanisms are secure and efficient, which fully presented the soft- hard-powers of the organizers in terms of management of grand activities, institutional innovation and implementation of measures and exhibited the image of a big-power China in terms opening, pragmatism and responsibility. Besides, organizers and participants have established good relations by communicating and coordinating closely. Direct exchanges and contacts between tourists home and abroad helps participants, foreigners and overseas media get a real China, which brings about a positive effect. Moreover, a million volunteers are warm, open, selfless, dedicated that provide the overseas tourists with an impression of Chinese hospitality, politeness and self-confidence. They are the incarnate of the Chinese element and representative of the national image. Finally, with the rising awareness of order and decency on the part of Chinese tourists, the personal quality of the Chinese people and China's international image has apparently improved accordingly.

(5) China is quite successful in guiding the media to make comprehensive and objective report by implementing the policy "to treat the media kindly, to use the media properly and to oversee the media appropriately". Despite international opinions that vary geographically due to various extents to which different regions and nations pay attention to the Shanghai Expo and due to various factors that affect their selection of themes and the frequency they make the report, which prove to be quite selective, the international media are generally positive in reporting the Expo and fully confirm and highly value the Expo public diplomacy. It is widely perceived that Shanghai Expo is not only a top international exhibition, but also a grand diplomatic event. The Expo diplomatic arena belongs not only to China, but also to the world. The Expo has offered a universal opportunity to the participant countries.

The number of the participant countries has reached 189 for this Expo, which is the highest in its history. The participant countries vary in condition. For examples, the United States is economically strong but the federal law prohibits the government from spending any money on expos. There are countries that are economically weak and compounded by being hit by financial crisis. All those countries have decided to participate the Expo at last moment by obviating various difficulties. As was pointed out by some media, those countries obvious cannot afford quitting the chance of showing their national images and affecting the chance of so many visitors. Some countries are consciously using the chance to convey diplomatic messages, to escalate national image and to close up their distance with the people of other countries.

The Forbes pointed out why it's important for the United States that had paid little attention to Expos in recent years decided to join an expo supported by China, the reason behind is that it is "important to be at an expo where 200 countries are going to be brought together. China is bringing the whole world here."  The Reuter wrote that countries and enterprises hoped to boost their economic and political relations with China through this great event. It added, to attract Chinese tourists to travel to their own countries is not as important a goal as taking the chance to establish a better relations with China, which was a valuable and invisible asset.

III. Expo Public Diplomacy: Room for Improvement

In respect to public diplomacy, the goal of letting the world understand China and stepping up China's interaction with the world is one of the important goals of this Expo. The first thing is to advance wide attention of the international society to Shanghai Expo and attract more overseas tourists to the Expo before the goal can be realized and which is also one the important measurement to the success of the Expo. However, those two indexes reached so far seem to be lower than expected. Given the foreign publics are well aware of the Expo, it is a haunting task with so many works to do for the Expo public diplomacy and even for the post-Expo public diplomacy, such as how to translate the foreign awareness of the Expo into real interest and desire to visit the Shanghai Expo, how to extend their interest of Shanghai Expo to the interest of Shanghai per se and even China as a whole and further translate them into their understanding and love of Chinese culture.

The Expo public diplomacy should help to further increase the public's consciousness of the public diplomacy on Expo as well. Most people so far are just staying at the level "joy and euphoria". They have little idea of the profound significance of the Expo and of the Expo public diplomacy in practice. The national satisfaction survey of tourists in the second quarter of 2010 shows that the tourist's satisfaction for Expo is indexed at only 77.64.  The problems in question consist mainly of the long queuing, the price of foods and hotels, the accommodation capacity of the Expo park, and the ability of handling breaking events. But, the survey concerns little about the ideas that the Expo wants to express, the scientific and technology content, and the layout of pavilions. This proves a lack of PR works in respect to the Chinese public, which has to be improved.

Moreover, explicit goals have to be carefully designed and put forward for advancing the typical Chinese cultural elements, the broadly acceptable "Shanghai Expo emblems", and the Chinese cultural products that are "memorable and transmittable". Those moved stories and relevant elements taking place in Expo park should also be deeply explored and fully exploited. The Expo Forum, one the three pillars of the Shanghai Expo, is directly responsible for the play of the Expo themes. The issues discussed on the Forum, such as climate change, environment protection, energy efficiency, urban development, humanitarian education, medical care and hygiene, are also the vogue topics of the current international society. At the same time, since the Forum is an excellent platform for presenting China's achievement, explaining China's conceptions and expanding China's influence, the repercussion abroad is lesser than expected and seems to draw little attention of the international society, judging from the recent sessions of the Forum. Thus, we have to make a greater effort in the promotion and recommendation.
 
Finally, diplomatic activities, official and ample, during the Expo period can be converted into resources of public diplomacy. For example, more arrangements can be added to the timetable for direct communication and exchange between high level officials home and abroad on the one part and the average people on the other. This can help to narrow up the distance between leaders and the average people as well as help to promote the national consciousness and public diplomacy consciousness of the average people.

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