March 24 – Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining met with UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

Chen emphasized opportunities for practical cooperation through the establishment of the UN Tourism regional office in Shanghai. He expressed his hope to strengthen exchanges in tourism project development, brand building, quality enhancement, and talent cultivation.

Pololikashvili lauded Shanghai as an appealing global tourism destination. He expressed UN Tourism's dedication to facilitating international tourism events, idea exchanges, experience sharing, and talent training.

March 24 – Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining met with representatives of Chinese and foreign enterprises attending the Shanghai Global Investment Promotion Conference 2025.

Chen encouraged businesses to optimize their operations and introduce new technologies, applications, and products in Shanghai. He reaffirmed the city's commitment to establishing a first-class business environment for enterprises.

Judy Marks, chair, CEO and president of Otis Worldwide Corporation, Kevin Clark, chair and CEO of Aptiv, Gao Dekang, chair and CEO of Bosideng, and other executives shared insights into their companies' operations in Shanghai and future growth strategies.

They expressed their desire to seize opportunities in digitalization and green development, expand their presence in the city, and deepen collaboration to support Shanghai's high-quality development.

March 26 – Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining met with Italy's Senate President Ignazio La Russa.

Chen expressed Shanghai's commitment to serving as a bridge for China-Italy friendship and expanding friendship city cooperation. He encouraged collaboration in industry, technology, culture, tourism, and sports.

La Russa highlighted the remarkable achievements that have been made since Shanghai and Milan became friendship cities. He expressed his hope for deeper cooperation and exchanges between the two nations.

March 27 – Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining met with Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L'Oréal Group.

Chen encouraged L'Oréal to optimize its business presence in Shanghai. He emphasized the city's commitment to supporting leading enterprises in expanding product offerings to meet diverse consumer needs.

Hieronimus highlighted Shanghai as L'Oréal's gateway into the Chinese market. He expressed the company's dedication to launching more innovations in the city while enhancing collaboration in the fields of technology R&D, ecosystem development, and green transformation.

March 28 – Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining met with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot.

Chen called for practical cooperation in trade, industry, culture, and technological innovation between Shanghai and France. He encouraged more young people from France to study and engage in cultural exchanges in Shanghai.

Barrot expressed his aspiration to foster closer ties between friendship cities and enhance people-to-people exchanges. He underscored France's commitment to advancing mutually beneficial cooperation and tackling global challenges such as climate change through joint efforts.

March 24 – During the China Development Forum 2025, Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng met separately with several business leaders in Beijing and attended the China Development Forum Shanghai lunch meeting.

These included Raj Subramaniam, president and CEO of FedEx Corporation, Lim Boon Heng, chairman of Temasek, Michael Miebach, CEO of Mastercard Inc, Oliver Zipse, chairman of BMW AG, and Stefan Hartung, chairman of Bosch GmbH.

Gong encouraged multinational companies to make the most of the opportunities presented by the China International Import Expo and increase their investments in Shanghai. He expressed Shanghai's commitment to creating a world-class business environment.

The business leaders expressed optimism about China, emphasizing their dedication to leveraging their strengths and deepening their collaboration for the mutual benefit of all concerned.

Subramaniam said that Shanghai is a critical hub in the global transportation network. FedEx has upgraded its facility in Pudong to an intercontinental transit center and is eager to explore more innovative partnerships.

Lim said that Shanghai is a city full of energy. Temasek is focusing on areas like life sciences, green development, and technological innovation and plans to increase its investments in Shanghai.

Miebach said that Mastercard Inc is keen to support the growth of consumer spending and will actively seek ways to leverage its data to assist Shanghai in meeting its ambitious goals.

Zipse said that BMW is investing more in research and development to meet the evolving needs of consumers. It is committed to strengthening its collaboration with Shanghai to better navigate challenges and changes.

Hartung highlighted Shanghai's favorable business environment, strong innovative spirit, and rich talent pool as key advantages for the company. He expressed his enthusiasm for expanding Bosch's investments in the city.

March 25 – Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng met with Jenny Johnson, president and CEO of asset management firm Franklin Templeton.

Gong encouraged Franklin Templeton to strengthen collaboration with local enterprises, introducing more innovations in the new asset management sector to support Shanghai's development as a global asset management center.

Johnson highlighted Shanghai's strong appeal to businesses and expressed the company's dedication to serving as a strategic partner, helping global investors tap into the many opportunities offered by Shanghai's market.