Shenzhen-LA economic and trade forum to promote local exchanges, cooperation

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhen-Los Angeles Economic and Trade Exchange Forum was held here on Friday, drawing over 200 entrepreneurs, business owners and officials from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen and the western U.S. state of California.

Held by the U.S. Shenzhen Federation and Shenzhen General Chamber of Commerce in the City of Industry -- an economic hub for the San Gabriel Valley in eastern Los Angeles County, the forum aims to promote economic and trade exchanges and cooperation between Shenzhen, a landmark in China's reform and opening-up drive, and Greater Los Angeles, the most populous metropolitan area in the western United States.

Peng Jing, commercial counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, noted in her remarks that the forum "has provided an important exchange platform for the business communities of the two cities."

"Although Shenzhen and Los Angeles are located on opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean, they share many similarities and are highly complementary. Both are vibrant global cities, have large ports which are among the busiest in the world, and possess strong atmosphere for innovation and entrepreneurship," said the commercial counselor.

"We hope that both sides can further strengthen communication and collaboration, leveraging their respective advantages to deepen practical cooperation in areas such as green ports, clean energy, cross-border logistics, culture, education and tourism, in order to make a greater contribution to the local exchanges between China and the United States," she added.

Liu Junlin, standing vice president of Shenzhen General Chamber of Commerce, spoke about Shenzhen's development over the past four decades, morphing from a small fishing village into a modern metropolis.

She hopes to strengthen cooperation between Shenzhen and Los Angeles in various fields such as economy, trade, culture, sports and tourism and build a stronger bridge of friendship for people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States.

"By working together and improving our economic ties, we not only improve the quality of life for each of our regions, but really improve opportunities for those who are going to come after us," said Luis Portillo, president and CEO of the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, reiterating the importance of strengthening economic cooperation between Shenzhen and the Greater Los Angeles region.