January 18, 2005 > Chinese Delegation Visits Fremont

A group of five officials from the city of Shenzhen, on the mainland of China near Hong Kong visited Fremont on February 6, 2005. Fremont was the first city of a fourteen day trip throughout North America. Xiaoming Peter Yan, Deputy Director General of Foreign & Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government spoke at a meeting at city hall. He recounted the growth of Shenzhen from a small fishing village in 1979 to a high tech area of two thousand square kilometers with a population of eight million people and $114B in U.S. trade.

Mr. Yan noted that "a modern financial system has been established" and presented Mayor Wasserman with a symbolic "key to the city of Shenzhen." Fremont Chamber of Commerce Board Chairperson Henry Yin, translated the inscription and urged the Shenzhen delegation to consider establishment of a trade office in Fremont. Mr. Yin spoke of the business ties between cities and promised a return trip to Shenzhen by the end of February with specific proposals. Last October, Mr. Yin headed a group that attended a high tech fair in Shenzhen.

Other members of the Shenzhen delegation included Ronghui Xiao and Caixiang Guo, Directors of Foreign & Overseas Chinese Affairs of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government; Guidan Yao and Guanzhong He, Section Chiefs of Foreign & Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government.