Qingdao Center for Business and Commerce is unveiled on May 17 in San Francisco, California, USA. [Photo/qdbofcom.gov.cn]

The Qingdao Center for Business and Commerce in USA was set up on May 17 in San Francisco, California, according to qdbofcom.gov.cn.

The center is dedicated to boosting investment and trade between the US and Qingdao to create growth opportunities and to forge a cooperative partnership, as well as serving to increase Qingdao’s international presence. It also functions as a workstation for overseas talents exchange, which has established preliminary business ties with local government agencies, trade associations and major enterprises.

The opening ceremony was attended by Zhang Xinqi, the mayor of Qingdao, Shandong province, Edwin M. Lee, the mayor of San Francisco and Luo Linquan, the Chinese consulate general in San Francisco.

Lee spoke positively at the ceremony that the center will be a new drive to further strengthen cooperation between San Francisco and Qingdao. As a gateway city to America, San Francisco is willing to work together with Qingdao to drive innovation and economic growth.

Qingdao has had a formal economic and cooperative fellowship with San Francisco since 2013. Zhang said that the center is Qingdao’s first trade office outside China.

Luo said he believed that the center will become a new platform for further trade cooperation, two-way investment and exchange between Qingdao and the San Francisco Bay Area.