SAN FRANCISCO - Northwest China's Shaanxi Province is looking to promote economic growth through innovative cooperation and talent exchange with Silicon Valley.

A delegation, headed by Hu Heping, chief of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, is visiting Silicon Valley for the Sino-American Enterprises Innovation and Cooperation Forum for Shaanxi Province.

The two-day forum, with the theme of "Gather Global Talents, Grow the Future," is aimed at strengthening cooperation between the province and the Silicon Valley, the world's innovation hub.

Shaanxi enjoys advantages in energy and chemicals industry, and has achieved rapid progress in electronic information and equipment manufacturing industries, said Hu in an address to the first session of the forum held on Monday in Santa Clara, California.

"The improved cultural, academic, and natural environment makes Shaanxi a hotspot for innovation and entrepreneurship," he said.

"Both sides have great potential for cooperation in the high-tech sectors, including electronic information, biotechnology, and new energy," he said.

Talent exchange based on the principle of mutual benefit and drawing on each other's strengths will benefit both peoples in China and the United States, said Luo Linquan, Chinese consul general in San Francisco.

"In Silicon Valley there are hundreds of thousands of premium high-tech talents coming from all around the world. Every year, a large number of Chinese talents arrive in Silicon Valley," said Luo, adding that China's cooperation and exchange with Silicon Valley will be increasingly pragmatic.

Comparing the innovative development between the United States and China, Franklin Urteaga, former innovation advisor to the White House and co-founder of Oigetit Instant News, said culture, technology, politics and economy are the four components that make the United States the first home of innovation.

Silicon Valley has great incubators and top venture capital funds, he said, adding that China has fulfilled the first step in culture and it is leading sharing economy in the world.

"I believe the next home of innovation is China," Urteaga said.

During the forum, a job fair was held, where 18 enterprises offered more than 700 positions covering electronic information, software engineering, artificial intelligence, healthcare and other areas.

The second session on Tuesday will introduce the province's free trade area and tourism. And then the delegation will head to Detroit and New York this week for more business opportunities.