Interview: San Francisco mayor expects further consolidation of sister-city relationship with Shanghai

SHANGHAI, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. city of San Francisco will strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Shanghai in culture, tourism, innovation, and other areas, further consolidating the sister-city relationship with Shanghai, San Francisco Mayor London Breed has said.

Breed made the remarks during an interview with Xinhua on Saturday at the Shanghai-San Francisco Sister City Business Forum, which she attended during her visit to China.

San Francisco and Shanghai established a sister-city relationship in 1980, one of the earliest friendly relations between cities of the two countries.

"San Francisco and Shanghai are very diverse cities," said Breed, adding that both cities believe in innovation, urbanization, opportunity, and "ways to grow and develop where it is responsible for the planet and for the next generation."

Breed said the two cities will expand their collaboration in innovation, student exchange, and the cultural domain, among other areas. She also expressed the hope that more flights will be added and more opportunities created for people to travel between the two cities, as both are famous tourist destinations.

"We're going to renew our commitment around business growth and development," she noted.

The mayor said it was exciting to witness the development of electric vehicles and related infrastructure during her visit to China, adding that electrification plays a critical role in combating climate change.

She also shared her view on artificial intelligence (AI), as San Francisco is home to some globally leading AI companies. "I do think that we can learn from one another in terms of this new technology, more importantly, how to be responsible with the technology and what it means for future generations."

Shanghai is the last stop of Breed's visit to China. "It has definitely been a great trip," said the mayor, highlighting the prospect of San Francisco receiving giant pandas from China.

The China Wildlife Conservation Association and the San Francisco Zoo signed a Letter of Intent on International Cooperation of Giant Panda Conservation in Beijing on Friday. The two sides will make various preparations before a pair of giant pandas are sent to the San Francisco Zoo in 2025.

"We are so excited about that. People in San Francisco are already talking about it," added Breed.