"We congratulate the Shanghai World Expo! This Expo has broken every record by virtually every measure. I will tell everybody this was an epic event. It's one of those that happen rarely throughout history. I am also proud of the United States' participation in the Expo 2010 Shanghai. Being one of the most popular pavilions at the Expo, the USA Pavilion has kept a momentum of hosting 45,000 visitors per day, with a peak level of 55,000 a day, and has received nearly 7.2 million guests over the entire duration of the Expo. This is 1 million more guests than we anticipated at the beginning, which means 1 million more have experienced the tremendous cultural exchange taking place here at the Expo 2010. This triumph has been made possible through the constant teamwork and partnership between us - country to country, people to people.

A small anecdote I'd like to share was the case when Internet sensation Drolma Chutso, referred to as "the most beautiful girl at the Expo", was filmed picking up trash at the Expo. During an interview with a newspaper after her visit, she said her favorite pavilion was the USA Pavilion. To me, it made all of our hard work and sacrifices well worth it. Throughout the six months, I have been consistently humbled by the overwhelmingly positive experiences people were having at the USA Pavilion, and the deep demonstration of appreciation and thanks by the Chinese people. As we near the end of the Expo 2010 Shanghai, I am honored to have been able to share the American spirit - perseverance, community building and teamwork - with visitors from all across China and around the world."

(China Daily 10/29/2010)