The United States signed up Friday the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, officials said, making it the last major country with diplomatic ties to China to join the event. A total of 192 countries have committed to the biggest-ever World Expo, running from May to October, which, alongside the Olympics, is designed to be part of a two-pronged demonstration of China's rising global clout.
Fundraising difficulties had threatened to prevent the US from building a pavilion for the Expo but organisers said they got a boost from donations in the past two months from Pepsi, General Electric and KFC owner Yum! Brands. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced last week the pavilion, which US law prohibits from being taxpayer-funded, would go ahead.
"The highest levels of the United States government are committed to the US pavilion at the Shanghai Expo," Jose Villarreal, a Texas attorney who is leading the US participation, said in a statement. The US is the latest country to sign up after San Marino, the world's smallest city state. The Western European principality of Andorra is now the sole Expo holdout among countries with diplomatic relations to China, according to Expo organisers.
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