On October 16, Xu Kunlin, vice-mayor of Shanghai, met with Michael Rawlings, mayor of Dallas, US, and the delegation he led.

Xu Kunlin said since the opening of direct air flights between Shanghai and Dallas, there have been increasingly more links and visits between the two places. In accordance with the requirements by the central authorities, Shanghai has been steadily carrying forward the building of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone and international science & technology innovation center.

"Dallas has such Fortune 500 companies as AT&T and Texas Instruments and many petroleum companies, and we welcome them to make investment in Shanghai and achieve mutual benefits with us. Next year, Shanghai will host China Import Commodities Fair, which we also hope Dallas businesses will come to attend. In addition to economic exchange, Dallas Mavericks in NBA has so many fans in Shanghai, so it is hoped the team will have the opportunity to play game in Shanghai. In education, Shanghai, having a large number of institutions of higher learning, holds a place next to Beijing only in higher education in China, so we hope through the mayor’s visit the cooperation in education, sports and other areas between the two cities will be further deepened. The growing friendly ties between Shanghai and Dallas will be conducive to the development of relations between China and the United States."

Mayor Michael Rawlings said this is his fourth visit to Shanghai and each time he came to Shanghai he saw new changes. The purpose of his visit this time is to promote the cooperation between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Shanghai airports, to attract investment by Shanghai’s medium and small enterprises to Dallas, and to make advantage of the direct flights between the two cities to promote Dallas’s tourism. Dallas would like very much to increase economic, trade, investment, educational and sports exchange and cooperation with Shanghai, including attracting Chinese students to study in Dallas. He will take back home what he has seen and heard in Shanghai and encourage Dallas businesses to open up market in China.