October 10, 2025: The Shanghai Nanjing Plus 2025 “Exploring Perspectives on China-US Relations” Activity Series, a program jointly organized by the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies and the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, held its opening ceremony at the Shanghai Jinjiang Hotel.

Opening ceremony

This year, Hopkins Nanjing Center’s Chinese Co-Director Xiaorong Li hosted the ceremony. Huiying Ma, director of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government’s foreign affairs office, attended the ceremony and gave a speech. As representatives of the respective organizing parties, Shanghai Institutes of International Studies President Dongxiao Chen and Hopkins Nanjing Center American director Adam Webb were present at the ceremony and spoke as well. Notable honored guests of the ceremony also included but were not limited to a grade two inspector from the general office standing committee of Shanghai Renmin University, Remin University foreign affairs committee deputy director Jie Luo, and Shanghai University Vice President Xuemei Yu.

Shanghai Municipal People’s Government Foreign Affairs Office Director Yinghui Ma

Director Ma recalled in her speech that 50 years earlier the Shanghai Communiqué was signed right in the Jinjiang Hotel, marking a crucial turning point in the Sino-American relations. Holding the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Nanjing Plus 2025 Activity Series in the very same historic location further reaffirmed the importance of dialogue and mutual understanding in promoting China-US relations. This year’s topic “Technology Innovation on the Shifting Economic and Policy Landscape” resonates with Shanghai’s recent prioritized construction of “Five Centers”: an international economic center, financial center, trade center, shipping center, and technological innovation center. Innovation is the crucial driver of the “Five Centers” construction in Shanghai. Director Ma used three “I”s to introduce Shanghai to the delegation: International, Innovative, and Inclusive. She expressed firm belief that the next few days of exchanging views and ideas during the program would not just include sharing experiences, but would also contribute to building mutual trust and long lasting friendship between the young people of both China and the US. Lastly, Director Ma wished for this year’s Shanghai Nanjing Plus Activity Series to be a great success.

Shanghai Institutes for International Studies President, Dongxiao Chen

In his speech, President Dongxiao Chen first warmly welcomed the Shanghai Nanjing Plus delegation. He then looked back on the beginnings of the program which started through conversation with Hopkins Nanjing Center Director Adam Webb in early 2023. As the two jointly considered how to promote effective communication and exchange between the young people of China and the US, they came to a consensus on two points. The first requirement would be sincere, face-to-face, and in-depth conversation; the second would be multidimensional perspectives. In the past two years, the program has already made progress in attracting attention, and its success is mainly embodied in three key characteristics of the program: immersive experience, effective real-time communication and exchange, and interactions between participants from diverse backgrounds. Finally, he also wished for the delegates to enjoy an enriching and pleasant time in China.

Hopkins Nanjing Center Chinese Co-Director Xiaorong Li

Director Xiaorong Li speech aptly quoted the famous saying “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” from Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities. The saying illustrates clearly the tense state of our present world, its complex challenges, and therefore the particular importance of building bridges for exchange and communication in our current era. Director Li further expressed that the significance of international exchange programs like Shanghai Nanjing Plus which help to promote understanding and collaboration is truly great.

Hopkins Nanjing American Co-Director Adam Webb