California Governor Jerry Brown has concluded his seven-day business trip to China with the hope that his visit to the mainland will result to billions of investments from the country.

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"To all you people who came on this trip not knowing what you were going to get, I think we all received more than we expected and maybe more than we deserved," Brown said in a final toast with Chinese officials, businessmen, and about 75 members of his delegation.

Brown spent three years planning the visit to pitch California's business opportunities and to open a trade and investment office in Shanghai. Analysts believe Brown's China visit further boosted California's potential to attract USD$10 billion to US$60 billion in direct investment from China by 2020.

Six Agreements

At least six memorandum of agreements were signed and hundreds of business cards were exchanged in the week-long trade and investment mission that included lunches, forums, signing government to government agreements in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

A memorandum of understanding between the two sides is the first of its kind between a US state and China's ministry of commerce. The two sides also inked an agreement to cooperate to improve air quality, protect public health and promote clean energy.  

"This is the biggest country in the world," Brown said, "We already have a massive trade relationship and the potential by 2020 is as high as 60 billion dollars of investment in California."

China is the world's second largest economy. Beijing estimates that a third of all Chinese exports to the US end up or pass through California.

Development of Bilateral Relations

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who met Brown, encouraged the US state to boost its cooperation with China to lay a solid foundation for the development of bilateral relations.

"I hope the two sides can step up their cooperation in sectors as high technology, clean energy, culture, and humanity," said Li.

Brown and business leaders accompanying him are trying to rebuild the state's official relationship with China after California closed its two trade offices and others around the world a decade ago in a cost-cutting move. California finds itself playing catch-up to other states that have had a vigorous presence in China for years.

Brown is hoping that China, which is enjoying an economic boom and spent US$77.6 billion on overseas investments last year, according to official figures, will pump some of its cash into the troubled project. He estimated that China has around US$400-500bn prepared for overseas investment.

California Trade and Investment Office 

Brown unveiled a new trade and investment office in Shanghai, California's first foreign trade bureau since 2008. California has not operated a government-authorized trade bureau since the state's American office shut down in 2008.

"The California Trade office in Shanghai represents a commitment to deepening the strong economic relationship between the second and ninth largest economies in the world," said Riley Robbins, Deputy Director of Communications for Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. 

On the same day that Brown opened the state's Shanghai office, the governor's economic development office announced a USD$20 million deal between Sacramento-based McWong International and several Chinese firms to build a zero-liquid waste facility.

Brown's last day schedule included a visit to the industrial port city of Shenzhen to appear at Chinese auto manufacturer Build Your Dreams, which is expected to announce a new assembly plant scheduled to open in Lancaster by the end of the year.

China-US Governors' Forum

On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Chinese and US governors, calling for deeper regional cooperation between the two countries.

Relations between China and the United States are currently at "an important phase that connects the past and the future," Xi told the governors attending the second China-US governors' forum.

US governors present at the meeting were Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell.