Vishakha N. Desai, is now the president and chief executive officer of the Asia Society. She is the first woman and the first Asian-American to lead the educational nonprofit institution, which was founded to foster understanding between Asia and America.

It is with great pleasure that I add my voice to the individuals and institutions who are coming together to celebrate and congratulate the organizers of The World Expo 2010 Shanghai. Exchanges of this sort are vital as we look ahead to a shared global future.

 This unique event celebrating the outstanding achievements of the city of Shanghai under the theme "Better City, Better Life" calls attention to a vision that all cities of the world should strive to achieve. We commend you on your successes and look forward to working with our friends in China as we explore together the Asia Society's mission of "preparing for a shared future."

 Asia Society is a leading global organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States. We seek to enhance dialogue, encourage creative expression, and generate new ideas across the fields of policy, business, education, arts, and culture.

 Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller the 3rd, the Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution with offices in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai and Washington, DC.

Asia Society has had a long history of constructive engagement with China over several decades: through quality programs, including high-level business conferences, symposia, international study missions, education initiatives, publications, art exhibitions and performing arts productions. Since the early 1980s the Society has reached out to a broad range of professionals and citizens interested in foreign affairs and culture. We strive to showcase the millennia-old civilization's artistic achievements of China and its ongoing legacy, manifest today in China's exciting contemporary art scene, of which Shanghai is a critical center. The Society held its signature corporate event, our 11th Asian Corporate Conference, in Shanghai in May 2000. We were delighted to work closely with all levels of government and the private sector to make this international event the ground breaking success it was.

Shanghai was China's pre-eminent international city for more than two centuries. Today, with Expo 2010, Shanghai, once again, reaffirms its international legacy. So it is with great pleasure that I write to congratulate you and wish the organizers of Expo 2010 and the City of Shanghai every success in this cross-cultural demonstration of a global village in the very real sense of the word.