On November 18, 1999, the Chinese government officially decided that Shanghai would bid for the 2010 World Expo. With support from home and abroad, Shanghai won the bid on December 3, 2002, at the 132nd General Assembly of the International Exhibitions Bureau.

World Expo 2010 is the occasion for China to bring the world at home, and for the world to feel at home in China. By dedicating a 5.28-square-meter area at the core of the city to exhibitions, events and forums on the Expo theme, "Better City, Better Life," Shanghai hopes to build a powerful and lasting pilot example of sustainable and harmonious urban living.