California–Shanghai Partnerships Expands Channels for Bay Area Business and Trade

The Bay Area Council continued advancing California–China cooperation last month at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, helping connect Bay Area leaders with fast-growing markets and partners across the Pacific. CIIE is the world’s largest import forum for businesses looking to sell their products in China.

The Council co-hosted the 2025 California–Shanghai Cooperation Forum with the Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce and the Yangpu District Government. Discussions focused on cooperation in life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and green logistics – sectors where Bay Area innovation aligns closely with new global growth opportunities. Matchmaking sessions generated multiple follow-up projects now under discussion.

The following day, at the California Pavilion Grand Opening on November 6, the Council hosted a dynamic exchange featuring representatives from Shanghai, Alameda County, the City of Oakland, and partners from business, higher education, and community sectors. Speakers including Shanghai People’s Congress Vice Chair Chen Jing, Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins, and Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert reaffirmed the deep and long-standing ties linking the two regions, and a shared commitment to build on them. 

Local Bay Area institutions such as the Port of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University, Carol H. Williams Advertising, and the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce spotlighted real opportunities in logistics, education, creative industries, and community development. Chinese industry leaders echoed the importance of these people-to-people and enterprise-to-enterprise connections in driving practical outcomes. 

Across communities and sectors, these exchanges reaffirm the Council’s on-the-ground role as a bridge to opportunity, turning international dialogue into tangible outcomes that support mutual interests that grow job and innovation for all. To explore opportunities to engage in our China work, please contact Jennifer Zou, Senior Vice President of Global Initiatives & Head of Operations, China.