2023 China-California Business Forum

 cross-pacific bridge for business opportunities.

Please join us at the premiere event for California and Chinese companies to meet and create new business opportunities!

The China – California Business Forum was founded to promote and highlight California’s trade and investment cooperation with Chinese provinces, and to encourage individual California and Chinese business leaders to explore and develop business opportunities. The past four Forums attracted 1,600 local and Chinese attendees.

The 2023 Forum is the first one after the Covid-19 pandemic, joined by a Chinese delegation of 150+ top business leaders and trade officials from seven provinces. With Jiangsu Province, the Guest Province of Honor of this year, the Forum will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and networking opportunities.

AGENDA (subject to change – additional high level officials and leaders from China and California will be included in the formal agenda):

08:30-09:30 Registration

09:30-10:45 Opening Ceremony

H.E. Shaochun Guo, Consul General (Ambassadorial Rank), Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles

Jim Wunderman, President and CEO, Bay Area Council

Chun Liu, Vice President, China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products

Brian Peck, Chair, Los Angeles Regional Export Council (LARExC)

Keynote Addresses:

Wei Fang, Vice Governor, Jiangsu Province

Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor, California

Erin Bromaghim, Deputy Mayor of International Affairs Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass

11:00-12:00 Breakout Sessions I & II

I. Clean-tech

Feng An (Moderator), Executive Director, U.S.-China Cleantech Center

Michael Swords, Vice President, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator

Susan Ying, Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships and Operations, Ampaire

II. E-Commerce

Brian Peck (Moderator), Executive Director, Center for Transnational Law and Business and Adjunct Professor of Law, USC Gould School of Law

Jeffrey Chen, President, BBC Freight Line, Inc. DBA: ABC Depot Logistics

Mark Matsumoto, Director, CBEC Asia

12:00-12:30 Business Networking

12:30-14:00 Luncheon

Keynote Address

Chenghai Sun, Deputy Director-General, China International Import Expo Bureau

14:15-15:15 Breakout Session III:

Bilateral FDI Opportunities

Matt Horton (Moderator), Senior Advisor, Milken Institute

Patrick Duan, Senior Vice President, Operations, BYD North America

Xiaodong Chen, Director of the Division of International Cooperation and Exchanges, Jiangsu Provincial Department of Commerce

Kevin Xu, CEO, MEBO International

15:15-15:45 Business Networking

Thank you to our 2023 sponsors!

Diamond: China International Import Expo

Gold: KAL, ICBC, BYD, Conrad Los Angeles , and Gemdale USA Corporation

Silver: Cathay Bank and Bank of China