U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Shanghai, China. She visited
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Shanghai, China. She visited the U.S. and Chinese Pavilions at the city’s international Expo on Saturday.
Secretary Clinton stopped first at the international Expo’s USA Pavilion. Its theme highlights American innovation, diversity, opportunity, community service and eco-friendly development.
Part of the American exhibition is a film called “American Spirit”, which features Mrs. Clinton.
Secretary Clinton toured the pavilion, which is one of the biggest at the Expo and cost $61 million to build. It was financed through corporate sponsors, several of whom were there to welcome Clinton and show her around their displays.
She also met a small group of Chinese children who gave her artwork they had made. She offered them teddy bears dressed in the colors of the American flag – red, white and blue.
So-called ‘student ambassadors’ are also a big part of the American pavilion experience. These university students speak excellent Mandarin and interact with the crowd, many of whom have never met an American before.
The pavilion has become one of the most popular, with crowds waiting in lines for up to four hours – even in the rain. U.S. officials say a half million visitors have already passed through the pavilion since it opened May 1st.
Secretary Clinton is on the second leg of an Asian tour that began in Japan on Friday. She will continue to Beijing for political and economic talks on Monday, and wrap up the tour in the South Korean capital of Seoul next Wednesday.