The most recent article I have written is out in the new CanCham March / April newsletter.  My article, “Shanghai’s Great Expectations: Can the World Expo 2010 Revive a Depressed Economy?” is on page 8 in the Special Focus section.

The overall topic of this issue of the newsletter is in fact the upcoming World Expo. I have previously written on this topic in relation to Haibao, the pinipedean Gumby look-a-like Expo mascot, but my new article is less tongue-in-cheek and more about what the real potential for the 2010 Expo really is:

Fast-forwarding to 2010, the Shanghai-hosted World Expo could be a turning point of the economic crisis, or it might be one of the worst-timed major events of the 21st century: When Shanghai opens its doors to the world, China’s economy and that of the world could be on the way to recovery or in the midst of a downturn possibly rivaling the Great Depression.

I go on to compare it with the last major expo, that of 2005 in Aichi, Japan, which I had the chance to attend given that Nagoya was a city I once called home. The theme of the Japanese pavilions and the overall event was the role of technology in our lives, apt in a demographically-challenged yet high-tech Japan. This contrasts with the theme of Shanghai’s, which is to be Better City, Better Life, basically all about urbanization and sustainable development. I must say, I prefer the idea of a cleaner greener future rather than one in which I am served by robotic guides…

I think that in the end, Shanghai’s Expo will be, much like Aichi’s was, a phenomenal success. Sure, there is the possibility it may not be in the booming China that we have grown accustomed to in the last several years, but I believe it will be a source of new optimism for a brighter future.