A delegation from China's Sichuan province is visiting the Silicon Valley and looks to collaborate with the region's high-tech and business communities.
The delegation, headed by Tang Limin, secretary general of Sichuan provincial government, participated in a forum hosted by the Bay Area Council on Wednesday in San Francisco to promote an economic zone and boost bilateral ties.
"We are hear to learn," Tang told the forum, which attracted dozens of local business leaders. "The relationship between Sichuan and California in the past year has grown stronger than the last decade."
He said California and Sichuan have a lot in common, for instance, they are both in the west of their countries and they both focus on innovation and technology. "The potential for cooperation is great," he said.
San Francisco has a large Chinese community, and it's valuable to continue the relationship between the city and China, said Manish Goyal, manager of San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
"We can work together to look at how we adopt more smart city solutions, such as making transportation, delivery of water and energy more efficient, so we can make our cities better," he said.
During the forum, two films promoting Sichuan Province and the Tianfu New Area in Meishan City were screening.
Approved in 2014, the Tianfu New Area became the 11th national-level new economic zone in China, spanning southeast of Chengdu and northern Meishan.
"The unique geographic advantages and forward-looking scientific positioning makes the Tianfu New Area an ideal location for attracting investment from around the world," said Huang Jiandong, deputy secretary of the Meishan Municipal Party Committee.
The area focuses on such fields as electronic information, digital economy, high-end service, equipment manufacturing, and new materials.
The area houses a few projects in collaboration with California. California Smart Town is an innovative project to promote China-U.S. cultural exchanges and scientific and technological cooperation.
The California-featured project, designed with the concept of "open, smart, ecological and harmonious," will include research centers, incubators, as well as commercial and residential space.
The University of California, Berkeley, and Sichuan University are jointly building a research institute focusing on science, engineering and business, in the Tianfu New Area.
The delegation also visited Autodesk and a few other high-tech companies in the Bay Area after the forum.
