As a venue for public diplomacy, the World Expo is highly valued yet under-analyzed. This is particularly true of the current Expo in Shanghai. For many countries, Shanghai Expo is the most expensive and arguably the most important one they have ever attended.

Chinese tourists aboard a flight to Vancouver Wednesday will get a warm welcome normally reserved for important government officials as China and Canada inaugurate a new era of tourism trade under the Approved Destination Status (ADS) conferred on Canada last December by Beijing.

Eight years have passed since American journalist Douglas McGray first coined the phrase, but now the Japanese government is getting behind "Cool Japan" in a big way.

Video that is part of the series CPD Video Conversations: National Branding at Expo 2010 Shanghai.

As part of its global pursuit of soft power, South Korea presents its country brand at Shanghai Expo by employing the instrument of pop culture.

On August 12, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy's research team in Shanghai released a video conversation focusing on the South Korean pavilion.

That’s why India is the world’s first “soft superpower”. It can barely do wrong for doing right, and if it does we don’t really want to know. As David Cameron made perfectly clear during his recent visit, we’re interested in India as the world’s second fastest-growing economy and by its contribution to the war on terrorism, but not how it treats its own people.

These videos are part of the series CPD Video Conversations: National Branding at Expo 2010 Shanghai.

A view of various illuminated pavilions after dark at the 2010 Shanghai Expo: