Deputy Secretary Kurt M. Campbell at a Preview of the USA Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka

DEPUTY SECRETARY CAMPBELL:  Camille, thank you very much and congratulations on taking on this new role.  We’re thrilled to have your skill and capability dedicated to this important project and the work that you’re going to be doing in public diplomacy. 

Friends, look, it is a pleasure to be with you here today to highlight the USA Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, but before we get started to talk about this I do have a brief statement I’d like to make.  We’ll be taking questions later today, but just want to put this on the record if we can.

So we are watching the recent developments in the ROK with grave concern.  We’re seeking to engage our ROK counterparts at every level both here and in Seoul.  The President, the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of State have all been briefed on developments and are being kept appraised of the situation as it unfolds.

I do want to underscore that our alliance with the ROK is ironclad, and we stand by Korea in their time of uncertainty.  I also want to just underscore that we have every hope and expectation that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.  We’ll have more to say as the situation develops.

I do want to just turn our attention to the importance of the Expo as we go forward.  Many of us have been involved in these projects in the past.  They’re extremely exciting.  They give us the opportunity to highlight the United States to groups of people globally.  We’re joined today by a special friend, a wonderful counterpart, probably my closest partner in the diplomatic community, Ambassador Yamada.  Can I ask you all to give him just a warm thank you?  (Applause.)

Our Japanese friends are incredible partners in this, and I think we are absolutely determined to make sure that our pavilion is of the very highest quality and represents the United States in the best possible way.  I want to thank Christian Lachel from BRC Imagination Arts.  Christian, can you stand up as well if you could, please?  I didn’t get a chance to meet with you.  Thank you, Christian.  (Applause.)

He is our pavilion exhibit designer, and we’re going to unfurl a few things today so that you get a sense, and we’re going to reveal our mascot and give us a sneak-peak at one of our pavilion exhibits here today.  So thank you for joining us.

I do want to say that we have a variety of friends on Capitol Hill that have done so much for us.  We’ve had the strongest possible support from Senator Duckworth.  She’ll be joining us at part of the events going forward.  She has been our champion on Capitol Hill.  We thank her.  Others from Capitol Hill are here to ensure that there is the broadest possible support from both the Executive and Legislative branches.

I also want to thank just personally and with the deepest possible respect Lee Satterfield.  Lee has been our engine of everything that we do in terms of public diplomacy.  She has stepped in into the hardest possible challenges and carried this mission with a deep sense of passion and commitment.  I’m going to force you to stand up, Lee.  Thank you, everyone.  (Applause.)

So I myself have been involved with a number of pavilions.  They’re always important venues to highlight aspects of American culture.  This is going to be a unique opportunity.  Some of these events are the most followed public examples of diplomacy that we are aware of.  Hi, please come on in.  And so these are tremendous opportunities for us to engage a broad group of people, not just Japanese friends but visitors from throughout the world and Asia in particular.

The USA Pavilion theme is Imagine What We Can Create Together.  From the 28 million projected visitors to the 160 governments expected in Osaka to an innovative digital (inaudible) that can endure well beyond the Expo, I believe that we have a unique opportunity together to create a lasting impact through strategic investment and engagement at Expo 2025.  We’ve learned a lot from previous expos, and I think we want to apply that, and we understand the significance of it. 

It’s a thrill for me to be able to help launch this today.  All the supporters, all those who’ve played a role, I want to thank all of our friends from the corporate community.  This is a public-private partnership.  We treasure it; we think it’s of vital significance.  We are determined to put our absolute best foot forward.  I thank you all for joining us in this wonderful venue today to announce the launching of this.  I hope you enjoy the event. 

It’s my great pleasure to bring Ambassador Yamada up to the stage to perhaps offer a few words of support for this critical endeavor going forward.  I do not remember a time that the U.S.-Japan relationship has been stronger, and we continue to want to strengthen it going forward, and this Expo that will give us the opportunity to link our peoples together even more closely.  Let’s welcome Ambassador Yamada to the stage.  (Applause.)