The US was the top export destination and second largest trading partner of Shanghai in the first four months of this year. Official data showed that trade volume surged 18.4 percent year-on-year to hit 321.2 billion yuan ($48.1 billion) within this period.

Interactions between players in both countries' private sectors have been robust too. In June, Chinese internet titan Alibaba Group hosted an investment summit aimed at attracting American businesses to its e-commerce platforms and vowed to create 1 million jobs in the US within five years.

Shanghai is home to the largest American business community outside of the US, according to the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. The association said that its 1,600 member companies located in Shanghai and the neighboring Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces have access to high quality business resources and relationship-building opportunities that help them thrive in China.

To further boost business connections, Stein said he would draw on the experiences gained during his term at the Shenyang consulate from 2010 to 2013. During this period, he worked with various US states to attract more than $1 billion in Chinese investments and introduced dozens of US firms to the Chinese market.

On the personal front, having the opportunity to oversee the Shanghai consulate has evoked a sense of nostalgia in him. After all, Shanghai was the very first Chinese city that Stein arrived in two decades ago. Stein has even made it a point to visit the Peace Hotel - the place he stayed during that first visit - every time he is in Shanghai.

"I am amazed when I see how the hotel has transformed over time. The modernization of the hotel can be said to be a reflection of the progress of modern Shanghai," he said.

Stein said that he has been impressed with other aspects of present-day Shanghai, such as the digital payment landscape.

He recalled having trouble finding currency exchange counters in the 1990s. Today, he said he needs to learn how to use mobile payment methods such as Alipay and WeChat Pay in order to pay for a brunch with his wife and three children.

hewei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 08/18/2017 page7)