SHANGHAI: Canada announces on Wednesday the appointment of Mark Rowswell, known as Dashan in China and arguably the nation's most well-known foreigner, as Canada's Commissioner General for the Shanghai Expo.

"Expo 2010 provides a valuable opportunity for Canada to strengthen economic, diplomatic and cultural ties with China," said Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon. "As Commissioner General for Canada's participation at 2010 Expo, Mark Rowswell will be our country's official representative, promote Canadain China, and welcome guests to our pavilion.”

Mr Rowswell, who began studying Chinese in the mid 1980s first at University of Torontoand later at Beijing University, has become a regular fixture on Chinese television and a cultural icon across China.

Today he is involved in wide variety of activities in China, from hosting TV programs and live events, to dramatic acting, public speaking,publishing, education and celebrity endorsement.

"I'm quite honored today to be the commissioner general and looking forward to working with everybody to achieve the success of not only Canadian pavilion but also the expo as general," said the 44-year-old Canadian. “As a country that has a history of over 150 years participating in expos and has hosted two expos, we have a lot to bring to the table. Especially about the topic of cities, we are a very large country, with more than 80 percent of population living in cities. According to our home views and independent evaluations, Canadian cities are some best cities in the world. We have a lot to share in terms of our experiences with expos and what we see the future for cities."

Expected to be the biggest world expo ever, the Shanghai Expo will be attended by more than 230 countries and international organizations.

With the assistance of Cirque du Solei,Canadais creating a stunning pavilion that will be the jewel of the 2010 expo and an excellent showcase for Canada's theme of The Living City: inclusive, sustainable, creative.

The objective is to make the Canada Pavilion the destination of choice at the upcoming expo. The Canadian participation will also include a spectacular and extensive cultural program that will showcase Canadian artists and performers from a wide range of disciplines.