San Francisco Sun

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed yesterday welcomed Mayor Gong Zheng and a Shanghai delegation to City Hall to celebrate the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between both cities as part of the 45th anniversary of the San Francisco-Shanghai Sister City Relationship. Dating back to 1979, San Francisco led the nation by establishing the first-ever diplomatic relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China, initiated by then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein.

During yesterday’s visit, both mayors signed the Sister City agreement to reemphasize commitments between San Francisco and Shanghai and advance mutually beneficial economic opportunities and cultural exchange efforts, including exploring possibilities for student exchange programs and tourism promotion.

Shanghai Mayor Gong's visit to San Francisco follows Mayor Breed's trip to China in April when she led a San Francisco delegation on a multi-city visit throughout China, including Shanghai. The purpose of her trip focused on cultivating tourism and economic growth opportunities and bolstering diplomatic relations to strengthen cultural ties across the region in China.

“As the gateway to the Asia-Pacific region, San Francisco has a rich history with deeply rooted cultural ties to Chinese and Chinese American cultures. By signing this agreement, we are honoring the heritage of many in our city and reemphasizing the importance of cultural exchanges that San Francisco remains committed to as we advance partnerships from around the world,” said Mayor London Breed. “When our San Francisco delegation visited Shanghai, Mayor Gong, residents, and leaders extended genuine hospitality and we look forward to having the opportunity to extend the same in return as we work together to strengthen the ties between the two cities.”

“Shanghai and San Francisco have jointly signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) on friendly exchange and cooperation,” said Mayor Gong Zheng. “Heralding a new phase of practical collaboration between the two cities. We see this as an opportunity to further strengthen cooperation with San Francisco in areas such as technology, innovation, mutual investment, and urban governance. Additionally, we aim to advance youth exchanges between the two cities, fostering a higher level of mutually beneficial development."

Over the years, more than 200 collaborative projects have emerged from this partnership across various sectors. Notable events include "Shanghai Week in SF" and "SF Week in Shanghai." The relationship has also facilitated interactions with future Chinese leaders and played a key role in San Francisco's participation in Expo 2010 Shanghai.

In addition to hosting Shanghai's delegation at yesterday’s event were members of recent delegations from San Francisco who visited China alongside local Chinese community leaders at a reception hosted by Mayor Breed and Chief of Protocol Maryam Muduroglu.

“The signing of this momentous Memorandum of Understanding further strengthens the two sister cities' future of mutual growth, cultural exchange, and business collaboration,” said Daphne Fang, Chair of the San Francisco Sister City Committee. “The participation of San Francisco high school youth in Friendship summer camps in Shanghai will enhance cultural understanding and friendship echoing across borders and generations. The San Francisco - Shanghai Sister City Committee will continue our dedication and unwavering commitment to fostering enduring relationships between our two greatest cities.”

“Shanghai and San Francisco are pivotal cities in establishing Sister City relations between China and the United States,” said Zhang Jianmin, Consul General of China in San Francisco. “Effective cooperation across various fields has consistently placed them at forefront efforts developing China-U.S relations. The mutual visits within less than two months are concrete implementations important consensus reached during China-U.S leaders' meeting advancing 'San Francisco Vision' into tangible actions believed promote local exchanges cooperation making positive contributions stable healthy sustainable development.”

This Sister City relationship was founded during Mayor Dianne Feinstein's tenure following normalization U.S.-China diplomatic relations late 1970s when Feinstein led delegation Beijing Shanghai where she then-Shanghai Mayor Wang Daohan agreed establishment long-lasting relationship formal agreement signed early 1980 following President Carter's announcement official diplomatic ties.

In July ten high school students from across San Francisco will participate summer educational exchanges promoting friendship fostering cross-cultural understanding.

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