On the morning of November 5, the 2025 California-Shanghai Cooperation Forum, hosted by the Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce and the Bay Area Council, took place at V Hub, KIC. Kevin Jenkins, President of the Oakland City Council President; David Haubert, Alameda County Supervisor; Yang Qian, Vice Chair of SFIC; Xue Feng Director of the Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board; Sun Limin, Deputy Director of the Yangpu Science, Technology and Economy Commission (YSTEC); Andreas Kluver President of the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners; and Wang Qinghua, President of Samuel Merritt University delivered addresses.

Jenkins and Haubert thanked Shanghai and Yangpu for hosting this forum, calling the exchange a vital bridge that firms up business links and future cooperation. Yang welcomed the delegation, saying Shanghai leads China's modernization as China's core city and opening-up hub and the Bay Area's strong innovation offers both sides ample space to partner.

YSTEC traced ties back to 2007. Since formal cooperation began that year, both sides have embraced a mutually beneficial approach. In 2010, the Bay Area Council placed its China office in Yangpu, forging the main bridge. Palo Alto then became Yangpu's first international sister city, keeping citizens connected across many fields. The council still brings California officials and companies to the CIIE, channeling global resources and wider overseas routes into the district.

During the exchange, more than 100 representatives from California and Shanghai held detailed discussions in various sectors. Yangpu Science and Technology Innovation Group introduced its parks, which now house over 10,000 companies, including Internet leaders like Douyin, Meituan, Bilibili, as well as U.S. companies like IBM, AECOM and Dell, and invited more California companies to benefit from this ecosystem.

Prior to the forum, the delegation toured iconic areas like Yangpu Riverside, KIC, and Changyang Campus to see the pleasant living environment, full innovation facilities, and vibrant industrial atmosphere.