Good friends feel close to each other even when they are far apart. In order to further promote Yangpu's international economic and trade cooperation and exchanges, and facilitate the high-quality development of the regional economy, from June 1 to 10, Xue Kan, Secretary of Yangpu District Party Committee, led a team to visit Israel, France and Italy, and carried out in-depth exchanges with representatives from the local governments, parliaments, innovation incubation service institutions, famous universities and business associations and other relevant organizations, to actively expand cooperation between the two sides, consolidate and deepen the friendship, and make efforts to introduce more multinational companies' regional headquarters and functional institutions, and attract the leading enterprises and seed players of global new tracks, new growth drivers and future industries to settle in Yangpu.

Visit to Israel

In Tel Aviv, Xue Kan and his entourage visited International School of Haifa University and met with Adar Ben-Eliyahu, Dean of the School. The two sides carried out in-depth exchanges on the topics of strengthening technology transfer cooperation and promoting the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and reached a positive consensus.

Founded in 1972, the University of Haifa is the largest public comprehensive research university in the north of Israel, with 54 departments, 6 schools, and 72 innovative research centers and institutions. Its sociology, computers, oceans and other disciplines are at the forefront of the world. In terms of technology transfer, the University of Haifa has set up the Carmel Technology Transfer Office, which is responsible for managing the transformation of achievements and providing support and services at all stages, including incubation, finance, law and business development.

At the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, the Yangpu delegation visited Rappaport Medical Research Institute and had in-depth talks with Prof. Aaron J. Ciechanover, a famous Israeli biochemist, foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Nobel Prize winner. Both sides exchanged views on the flexible introduction of top scientists to help the development of life and health industry in Yangpu, and Prof. Aaron put forward relevant opinions and suggestions on the exchange of talent cultivation between China and Israel.

As the engine of Israel's economy and technology, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is attaches great attention to talent cultivation, and there are three Nobel Prize winners among the existing faculty members. Professor Aaron Ciechanover has been maintaining close cooperation with China, and has a strong interest in Chinese medicine, looking forward to a more scientific, quantifiable approach to the study of Chinese medicine, so as to make Chinese medicine more standardized and precise.

The delegation of Yangpu visited the Israel-China Chamber of Commerce and held a promotion meeting to promote Yangpu to Israeli entrepreneurs and listen to the introduction of enterprises. At the promotion meeting, Xue Kan introduced the basic situation of Yangpu District, and issued a sincere invitation to all entrepreneurs, hoping that all guests and friends can come to Yangpu to take a walk, take a look, and invest and prosper, seek cooperation and share development in the district. Xue Kan said that the District will continue to keep close contact with the Israel-China Chamber of Commerce to build a bridge for the exchange and cooperation between Chinese and Israeli enterprises, to create more cooperation opportunities for both sides, and to invite more Israeli enterprises to settle and invest in Yangpu.

The promotion meeting was warmly welcomed by local enterprises, which expressed great interest in the markets of Shanghai and Yangpu. Some of the enterprises had conducted detailed research before the meeting, sorted out the cooperation targets and potential customers in Shanghai, and expressed the hope that Yangpu can serve as a bridge, and provide support and help for them to develop the Chinese market.

In the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation of Israel, Xue Kan and his entourage visited a number of exhibition halls displaying Israel's scientific and technological development history and achievements, and carried out in-depth exchanges with the head of the innovation business of the Peres Innovation Center, to learn more about Israel's innovation achievements and entrepreneurial culture.

The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation is a non-profit organization founded by former Israeli President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres in 1996, which is one of the most influential innovation institutions in Israel.

At Tel Aviv University, the Yangpu-Israel Science and Innovation Cooperation Exchange Meeting was held. Representatives from Yangpu District, the Chinese Embassy in Israel, Tel Aviv University, the Danish (Tel Aviv) Center for Science and Technology Entrepreneurship, Venture Cup China, and the Tech IT Forward of Israel attended the event.

At the meeting, Xue Kan and Peng Sizhen, Minister Counselor of Science and Technology of the Chinese Embassy in Israel, witnessed the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between Venture Cup China and Tech IT Forward, in which the two sides will establish a mechanism for "Israel-Yangpu" innovation organizations and enterprises to visit each other on a regular basis to promote in-depth cooperation between the two sides in the field of science and technology innovation. Relying on the platform of the 6th China International Import Expo and the University Startup World Cup, the two sides will build a wider platform of resources, networks and support for entrepreneurs, investors and businessmen, and jointly promote the progress and prosperity of science and technology innovation. After the meeting, the leaders and guests cut the ribbon and officially launched the University Startup World Cup 2023 (USWC) Israel.

Visit to France

In Paris, France, with the careful organization of the French Architects Association, the delegation went the wharf and other places to investigate the old city renovation and urban renewal projects, and gained in-depth understanding of  the construction and utilization, and conducted in-depth exchanges on waterfront public space, the preservation and rational use of historical buildings, and the mechanism for joint development, the upgrading of public facilities and transportation, and the green concept of sustainable development.

In addition to the site visit, the delegation also had a discussion with Ariane Dienstag, founder of SensCommun and vice president of the French Architects Association, and more than 10 entrepreneurs on the theme of urban renewal, exchanged Yangpu's practices and experience in urban renewal, and introduced in detail the results of the transformation of Yangpu District from a rust belt to a life show belt in terms of space, carrier and culture, as well as the results of open and friendly business environment.

During the meeting, Xue Kan presented the certificate of Shanghai Yangpu District Investment Partner to Bank of China Paris Branch, hoping to actively play the advantages of Bank of China's global and comprehensive operation, strengthen the publicity and promotion of Yangpu in overseas localities, and provide support and assistance for the district's cross-border investment.

At the headquarters of Publicis Groupe in France, the delegation of Yangpu made a study tour and interactive exchanges, laying a foundation for the subsequent cooperation between the two sides. Yangpu Riverside and Publicis Groupe signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement last year, and both sides reached a consensus on cooperation to further promote the optimization and upgrading of the brand of Yangpu Riverside Show Belt. Xue Kan said that Yangpu District will accelerate the implementation of the cooperation agreement between the two sides, and at the same time they expect to publicize and promote Yangpu in a more international way through Publicis Groupe's excellent business capabilities.

Founded in 1926 and and headquartered in Paris, France, Publicis Groupe is the largest advertising and communication group in France. Its main businesses include advertising agency services, media services, media management, public relations services and marketing services.

During their stay in France, the Yangpu delegation visited Mr. Duarte, who was granted Honorary Citizenship of Shanghai, met with Christian Cambon and Alain Marc, members of the French Senate, and Sylvain Maillard, a member of the French National Assembly, and had a video link with Éric Alauzet, a member of the French National Assembly and President of the France-China Friendship Group, and started a dialog on strengthening the friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. Xue Kan introduced the basic situation of Yangpu to them and extended a sincere invitation to them, expecting Yangpu and French friends from all walks of life to continue to maintain good cooperation, explore each other's advantages and seek mutual benefits.

In 2026, the 48th WorldSkills Competition will be held in Shanghai, and the WorldSkills Museum, the only official museum of the WorldSkills International, has settled in Yangpu Riverside. In order to further cultivate highly skilled catering talents and create "Le Cordon Bleu - Riverside International Top Catering and Tourism Industry Cluster", Yangpu delegation came to the headquarters of Le Cordon Bleu, and signed a memorandum of cooperation with Le Cordon Bleu to establish a long-term, comprehensive and in-depth strategic partnership.

Founded in Paris, France in 1895, Le Cordon Bleu is the world's first school to integrate food culture and food service hospitality. By the end of 2022, it has developed into an international educational institution with 30 international branches in more than 20 countries (regions) around the world, training more than 20,000 students from more than 100 different countries (regions) every year.

Visit to Italy

The delegation of Yangpu visited the Italian Museum of Industrial Design (ADI Design Museum) and held talks with Luciano Galimberti, President of ADI, and Andrea Cancellato, Director of the museum, to study in detail the introduction of ADI Design Museum. The two sides also discussed topics such as urban renewal and transformation, protection and reuse of industrial heritage, etc., developing new ideas and exploring new solutions for Yangpu District to better protect and utilize the industrial heritage along the riverside and carry out urban renewal with higher quality by reference to the international first-class level.

The Italian Museum of Industrial Design integrates a large number of design elements, including designers, design enterprises, manufacturers, students' creativity, etc. The Compasso d'Oro award established by it is an important award in the European design sector, which has been strongly supported by the government since 1954 and has become an important cultural heritage, and the beauty of design presented with the changes in productivity is well demonstrated through the exhibits of the previous awards. The Italian Association of Industrial Design is the cornerstone of Italian design, whose members include many excellent Italian universities and enterprises, covering the whole process from industry to theory.

In the Polytechnic University of Milan, Xue Kan and his entourage met with Emilio Faroldi, Executive Vice President of the university, and Francesco Zurlo, Dean of the School of Design. Lou Yongqi, Vice President of Tongji University, attended the meeting. It was agreed that the cooperation between Yangpu and the Polytechnic University of Milan in the field of design has a broad prospect, and the two sides discussed the ideas and strategies for Yangpu to accelerate the transformation of old areas and urban renewal.

This time, Yangpu delegation and the National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Enterprises (Confederazione Nazionale dell'Artigianato e della Piccola e Media Impresa, abbreviated as CNA) of Como, Italy, joined hands to organize the Yangpu promotion and signing ceremony. The event was attended by Mr. Pasquale Diodato, a representative of the President of CNA Lombardy. This event is the largest investment promotion activity with the largest number of participants in this visit, which has effectively expanded the influence and popularity of Yangpu.

At the investment promotion meeting, the CNA Brianza Branch signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with the District Commission of Commerce and the District Culture and Tourism Bureau, which will increase the opportunities for cultural development between the two sides, promote the development of economy and tourism, and carry out cooperation in the form of exchange of experts and joint research in various fields. Xue Kan presented the certificate of Shanghai Yangpu District Investment Partner to Bank of China Milan Branch.

In the future, Yangpu will invite the CNA to participate in the CIIE and actively contact and organize their member enterprises to visit Yangpu. In addition, Yangpu will combine its own investment objectives in the design industry, plan and carry out targeted activities, and actively promote the Lombardy Region, Como Region and CNA small and medium-sized enterprise groups to settle in Yangpu for development.

The delegation of Yangpu went to Rome City Hall to carry out seminar activities, and Rome Deputy Mayor Scozzese received them. The two sides launched active dialogs on further having in-depth exchanges, deepening cooperation, and joining hands to share opportunities, promote development and create the future.

During the exchange in Rome, Yangpu District Culture and Tourism Bureau and the Italian Cultural Foundation signed a letter of intent to actively carry out exchanges and cooperation in culture, cultural relics, tourism, exhibitions, etc., to jointly promote the development of culture and tourism, and to continuously carry out exchanges to link up with sister cities as well as to promote culture and business.

In the future, Yangpu will always adhere to the expansion of opening up to the outside world, seize the valuable opportunities given by the times, actively carry out friendly cooperation in urban renewal, scientific and technological innovation, cultural exchanges, etc., and learn and absorb the advanced experience and practices, so as to empower Yangpu's innovative development to start again. In addition, Yangpu will also deeply summarize and expand the results of the visit, making use of the CIIE, the WorldSkills Competition and other opportunities, and sincerely invite experts, scholars and entrepreneurs from various countries to Shanghai, Yangpu to share the opportunities for development, and to further promote the implementation of cooperation projects in science and technology, business, tourism, economy and trade.

The visit of the delegation of Yangpu District was reported by the provincial newspaper of Lombardy Region of Italy, TV station of Como City, relevant official accounts and other media.