Shanghai Party chief meets U.S. President Obama

SHANGHAI, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai Party chief Yu Zhengsheng met visiting U.S. President Barack Obama Monday, the second day of his China trip.

U.S. President Barack Obama(L) meets with Yu Zhengsheng, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, at the Xijiao State Guest House in Shanghai, Nov. 16, 2009. (Xinhua/Zhang Ming)

Shanghai played an important role in the history of Sino-U.S. relations. The signing of the Shanghai Communiqué in 1972 marked the normalization of the bilateral ties, said Yu, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee.

Yu said Obama's visit would be conducive to the dialogue, communication and cooperation between the two countries.

Yu expressed the hope to strengthen cooperation with the U.S. on advanced manufacturing industry, modern service industry and green economy.

Obama said he was impressed with Shanghai's rapid development and hoped to enhance cooperation on the sectors of finance, trade and clean energy. He also wanted to promote the communication between Shanghai and its two friendly cities Chicago and San Francisco.

Obama left Shanghai for Beijing Monday afternoon after having a dialogue with Chinese students.

Obama arrived in Shanghai Sunday night to start a four-day state visit to China. This is his first China tour since taking office in January.