SHANGHAI Mayor Yang Xiong met Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, chief executive officer of BNP Paribas, at the city's Hengshan Hotel on July 3.

Yang thanked BNP Paribas for playing an active role in the International Business Leaders' Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai. He said Shanghai is striving to become an international financial center and has scored progress in financial reform and innovation. He is pleased to see BNP Paribas open a branch in Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

The mayor said Shanghai will introduce more reform and opening policies for the financial industry. The city needs the support of all financial institutions, including BNP Paribas, in its drive to become an international financial center. The French bank can also provide financing for technology innovations.