Shanghai-New York Forum Opens, Spotlighting Finance and Consumption Ties

The third season of "Our Water: Flowing from Shanghai – Intercultural Dialogues Among World Cities" opened at Bloomberg headquarters in New York on June 30, launching the Shanghai-New York City Dialogue under the forum theme "Rivers of Opportunities."

The opening ceremony and forum brought together more than 200 guests from business, culture, academia and government to discuss how the two global cities can deepen cooperation in finance, consumption, culture and urban development.

Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, said cities have a growing role to play as global challenges become more complex.

"Great cities don't just compete with each other – they learn from each other. As the world's challenges grow more complex, cities are increasingly taking the lead in tackling them. Today's dialogue is an opportunity to share ideas and strengthen collaboration between Shanghai and New York," Bloomberg said.

Chen Yiqun, director of the Shanghai Municipal Information Office, said Shanghai and New York share a long history of openness, trade and cultural exchange linked to their waterfronts. In her speech, she said the relationship between the two cities is "not just symbolic" but "a working partnership" already producing outcomes for both sides.

Mary Schapiro, vice chair of Bloomberg, said international cities such as Shanghai and New York must continue to provide the systems, confidence, talent, market access and connectivity that allow businesses and investors to operate with greater purpose and certainty.

The launch was attended by Bloomberg, Tang Zhiwen, minister at the Chinese Embassy in the United States, Ma Xiaoxiao, deputy consul general of China in New York, Schapiro, Chen, Shanghai United Media Group Chairman Hu Minghua, Jing'an District Executive Deputy Mayor Fu Jun, and Bing Li, chair of Bloomberg Asia Pacific.

Hu introduced the New York program for the third season, following earlier Our Water dialogues with Paris and London. This season will expand discussion to financial innovation, consumer vitality, business district development and people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States.

Fu and Julia Solodovnikova, secretary-general of the Global Business Districts Innovation Club, jointly launched a plan to decode world-class central activity zones, using the Nanjing Road W.-Suzhou Creek area in Jing'an as a case study for global business district development.

In a keynote conversation, Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, and Bloomberg Chief Economist Tom Orlik discussed Shanghai and New York through the lens of globalization and China-US relations. They said openness, connectivity and adaptability have helped both cities remain globally competitive.

A finance roundtable examined how global capital views China, with speakers highlighting opportunities in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, financial opening-up and institutional market development. Participants said Shanghai's role as a financial opening hub and asset allocation center makes it an important gateway between international capital and Chinese opportunities.

A second roundtable focused on consumption, sports, brand experiences and urban space. Speakers discussed how Shanghai and New York can turn major events, retail innovation, waterfront renewal and first-store launches into broader city experiences.

The New York forum was the first overseas Shanghai event focused on international financial cooperation after this year's Lujiazui Forum. It also tied into Shanghai's push to integrate culture, commerce, tourism, sports and exhibitions.

The third season's New York program will continue for a month, with related events including a Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek-themed exhibition, a trans-Pacific philosophy dialogue, a technology and art design exhibition, a Polaroid 20x24 photography exhibition, and a Jing'an central activity zone exchange with Chinese and US entrepreneurs.