Sept 2 – Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining met with representatives from the 2024 Legislators Forum for Friendly Exchanges.

Chen noted that Shanghai was making constant efforts to achieve green development and advance the building of a resilient and safe city. It is expected that representatives would share their experiences and enhance consensus through the forum, achieving a brighter and more sustainable future for all.

Representatives highlighted the modern international metropolis of Shanghai with its scientific programming, innovative vitality and streamlined governance – and remarked that the forum served as a valuable platform for countries to strengthen mutual learning and deepen exchanges. They expressed their desire to play a bridging role to promote international unity and cooperation and address global challenges.

Sept 3 – Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Chen remarked that Shanghai maintained close communications with various United Nations specialized agencies, yielding a series of innovative cooperative achievements. He conveyed his eagerness to deepen practical cooperation further and share urban experiences to advance global governance of artificial intelligence and promote green and sustainable development – thereby contributing to the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Guterres highlighted the fact that Shanghai had pioneered numerous initiatives in economic and social development, creating precious experiences and practices. He expressed the hope that the two sides would enhance their mutual learning from their experiences and make significant contributions to global sustainable development.

Sept 3 – Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining met with Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh. 

Chen warmly welcomed President Guelleh's visit to Shanghai and introduced the city as China's economic hub and a key window of reform and opening-up.

Chen noted that this year marked the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Djibouti. The bilateral relations between the two countries have been elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership recently.

He conveyed his eagerness to work together on building more cultural exchange platforms to foster friendly exchanges and cooperation, especially among the younger generation.

He also extended a warm invitation to Djiboutian enterprises to be present at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai to introduce their high-quality goods to the Chinese market.

President Guelleh expressed appreciation for China's valuable assistance in Djibouti's economic development and improvement of its living standards.

He expressed his strong interest in strengthening exchanges and mutual learning in port management, free trade zone construction, technological innovation, urban governance and other fields – elevating the bilateral ties and all-round cooperation to a new level.

Sept 6 – Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining met with Ola Kaellenius, chairman of the board of management of Mercedes-Benz Group, and Martin Brudermuller, chairman of the group's supervisory board.

Chen highlighted Shanghai's focus on its automotive industry, especially its shift towards electric, connectivity, and smart technologies. He invited Mercedes-Benz to expand its investment, enhance its research and development, and introduce more globally influential products from its Shanghai R&D center.

For his part, Ola Kaellenius praised Shanghai's business environment and reaffirmed Mercedes-Benz's commitment to long-term investment – with the group aiming to launch more innovations for the global market in collaboration with local partners.

Sept 1 - Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng met with Mozambique's President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, along with his delegation in Shanghai.

Gong highlighted Shanghai's role as a key bridge in Sino-Mozambican relations, noting the friendship city relationship established in 1999 between Shanghai and Maputo, Mozambique's capital. Gong expressed hopes for deepened cooperation in trade and investment, warmly inviting Mozambican companies to continue participating in the China International Import Expo. He also sought Mozambique's support for Shanghai enterprises investing in the country, particularly in agriculture, mining, and energy, and emphasized the potential for collaboration in port development and maritime services, leveraging Mozambique's modern port in Maputo.

Nyusi described Shanghai as a modern, welcoming, and vibrant city, and noted its historical significance as the birthplace of the Communist Party of China. He chose Shanghai as the first stop on his visit to China, hoping to foster greater understanding of Mozambique among the Chinese people, encourage friendly exchanges, and explore new avenues for investment and cooperation to promote mutual development.

Sept 2 – Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng met Sonova Group's Chief Executive Officer Arnd Kaldowski.

Gong emphasized Shanghai's commitment to developing new quality productive forces in the medical devices sector. He encouraged Sonova to increase its investment in Shanghai and to extend collaborations with local businesses and research institutions – promoting the high-quality development of Shanghai's medical and health industry.

As one of the world's largest providers of hearing care solutions, Sonova has established its regional headquarters and companies in Shanghai.

Kaldowski conveyed his optimism for Shanghai's economic development. He noted that Sonova would implement a localization strategy and increase investment in Shanghai to provide high-quality hearing care products and services for Chinese consumers, especially the elderly.

Sept 3 – Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng met with Sybren Attema, chairman of Royal FrieslandCampina N.V.

Gong encouraged FrieslandCampina to deepen their cooperation with local enterprises and leverage the China International Import Expo to create new growth points in the consumer sector.

He noted that Shanghai highly valued the development of the food and beverage industry and supported FrieslandCampina and other enterprises in the city with a more welcoming atmosphere, stronger policies and more precise services.

Attema affirmed FrieslandCampina's commitment to providing diverse dairy products for Chinese consumers. He expressed his anticipation for increased investment in Shanghai, which will help optimize the business environment and work together towards sustainable development.

Sept 4 – Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng met with a delegation from Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, led by Governor Oishi Kengo and President of Nagasaki Prefecture Assembly Tokunaga Tatsuya.

Gong expressed a strong interest in strengthening exchanges and cooperation in integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, high-end equipment and other fields. He remarked that as this year marked the 45th anniversary of the regular flights between Shanghai and Nagasaki. It is expected that the two sides would host cultural and tourism activities to stimulate inbound tourism.

Oishi highlighted the crucial role of strengthening local exchanges in building stable and peaceful relations between China and Japan. He expressed his hope to enhance communications, deepen cooperation, and learn from each other's strengths – and invited more Shanghai residents to visit Nagasaki.

Sept 7 – Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng met with Laszlo Bodis, deputy state secretary for Innovation at Hungary's Ministry of Culture and Innovation.

Gong highlighted the 75th anniversary of China-Hungary diplomatic ties and Hungary's role as the guest of honor at the Pujiang Innovation Forum, aimed at boosting technological cooperation.

Gong called for deeper collaboration in fields like life sciences, photonics, and advanced materials and encouraged joint research and partnerships between innovation hubs in Shanghai and Hungary.

Hungary's Bodis welcomed the opportunity to expand cooperation – noting China's status as Hungary's largest investor – and called for more joint research, high-tech collaboration, and investment from Chinese companies in Hungary.