2010-09-22 10:40

SHANGHAI - Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley promoted his native "Windy City" to China's clean-energy companies and signed an Eco-City Partnership agreement with his Shanghai counterpart Han Zheng during the first leg of his Asian visit this week.

Daley, who will step down in May after over 21 years in office, said he wants to spend his remaining time building Chicago into one of the world's most environmentally-friendly cities to further attract tourists and trade, with an eye on China.

On Monday, he met with CEOs from Chinese companies and spoke at a luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.

The 68-year-old took the opportunity to promote Chicago's steel mills, its growing clean-energy industry and other areas in which the two sister cities, who are celebrating 25 years of friendly ties, can further cooperate.

One large Chinese wind-energy company agreed on Monday to relocate its headquarters to the city, which is building the largest concentration of such HQs in North America, he said.

Daley, who departed from Shanghai on Tuesday for the Republic of Korea's port city of Busan, will take his entourage of business and cultural leaders to Seoul before wrapping up his Sept 18-24 trip.

Developing educational partnerships was a key goal of his visit to China, Daley said.

Under his supervision, Chicago has established the largest Chinese language program in the United States. Students can now begin the program in kindergarten.

"We pushed the sister-city relationship to the next level and they recommitted themselves to bringing more qualified Chinese language teachers into the US and Chicago," he said.

After Daley announced earlier this month that he would not seek a seventh term in office next May, his Asian trip has been about securing the city's future as well as his own legacy. At the end of December, he will eclipse his father as Chicago's longest-running mayor.

Chicago faces a projected record budget deficit of $655 million for 2011 and may need to raise property taxes to make up for the shortfall.

All of which makes China, the largest trade partner of the Chicago Customs District, a potential stakeholder in the city's future. Last year Chicago registered $28.6 billion imports from China and $2.8 billion exports to the country.

About 30 mainland companies operate in the greater Chicago area, compared to 300 Chicago-area companies in China. Meanwhile, the number of Chinese tourists to visit the US is expected to continue to grow at an annual rate of about 15 percent.