By Todd Gloria and Nikia Clarke
Copyright timesofsandiego
San Diego is a leading global city at the heart of a thriving binational region in California, the world’s fourth-largest economy. With $36 billion in annual exports, $6 billion in foreign investment since 2003, and 16 sister city partnerships, San Diego’s prosperity relies on global ties.
That’s why we and our partners are taking a proactive approach to building relationships abroad that deliver tangible results at home. When we step onto a plane for an overseas trade mission, we’re working for San Diego’s future.
Over the past three years, Mayor Gloria has led the World Trade Center San Diego’s economic delegations to South Korea, the Netherlands, the Philippines — and soon France — with one goal in mind: to build stronger economic, defense, and cultural ties that directly benefit San Diegans. These trips are an opportunity to forge partnership that attract foreign investment and jobs to the region. And they’re paying off.
Netherlands: Expanding European markets and transatlantic ties
In 2022, Mayor Gloria led the World Trade Center San Diego’s delegation to the Netherlands — a top European investor in San Diego — where we visited Dutch tech giant ASML and welcomed its continued investment here, including high-skilled, high-wage jobs and a strengthened role in the global semiconductor supply chain.
Since the trade mission, ASML has increased its employment in San Diego by 22.5% to reach over 2,000 employees.
The trip was a key chance to help the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority make progress on a partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to establish nonstop service between San Diego and Amsterdam. That flight began May 8 and yields $30 million in annual economic benefit for San Diego.
South Korea: Supporting job creation and innovation
South Korea is California’s fifth-largest export market, and San Diego is uniquely positioned to deepen those ties.
During the 2023 World Trade Center San Diego trade mission, we met with leaders from Samsung Biologics, Korean tech giant Kakao, and government ministries to promote our strengths in biotechnology, semiconductors, and clean tech.
The results? Within months, Samsung Semiconductor opened a new customer engagement office in Rancho Bernardo, further embedding the Korean tech giant into San Diego’s innovation ecosystem. This move brought 20 high-paying jobs, closer collaboration between Korean and local engineers, and enhanced support for regional tech startups.
Mayor Gloria also personally finalized a three-year Memorandum of Understanding between California and South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province (which includes the capital, Seoul) focused on trade, climate cooperation, and innovation. Further, he secured a reciprocal visit from the governor of Gyeonggi to San Diego, strengthening momentum on shared investments in technology, sustainability, and economic development that continue to benefit our region.
China: Panda diplomacy delivers for San Diego
In 2024, Mayor Gloria traveled to China for a diplomatic visit that culminated in a landmark achievement: the return of giant pandas to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, marking the first time in over two decades that the United States has received pandas from China.
The arrival of the pandas sparked global media coverage and drew large crowds to the zoo, bolstering San Diego’s international profile and providing a major boost to the local economy. A globally recognized leader in conservation efforts and gem of our region, the San Diego Zoo drives an estimated $2.4 billion in economic activity annually. With the pandas’ return, local businesses—from hotels to restaurants and attractions — are seeing a surge in visitor spending.
Philippines: Reinforcing cultural and strategic partnerships
In 2025, Mayor Gloria led a delegation of regional leaders to the Philippines to bolster economic investment, highlight military partnership, and celebrate robust cultural ties.
Mayor Gloria briefed the three largest and most influential chambers of commerce in the Philippines, representing over 3,000 companies from a wide variety of sectors including healthcare, biotech and clean energy. As a direct result of these engagements, San Diego hosted two trade and investment-focused exchanges in June alone — both of which will drive economic partnership and investment in San Diego.
The Philippines visit also underscored San Diego’s vital role in international security and defense cooperation. In meetings with the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the commander of Philippine Special Operations Forces, he advocated for deeper collaboration with San Diego’s defense industry. He also honored the shared legacy of U.S. and Filipino service members — many with ties to San Diego, including his great-uncle — during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Manila American Cemetery, marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Manila.
What’s next
Building on these wins, we’re looking forward to the World Trade Center’s upcoming trade mission to France this fall — continuing to open doors, attract investment, and create opportunities for San Diegans at home. We are particularly excited to join San Diego’s own General Atomics as they finalize their contribution to the world’s largest and most ambitious fusion energy project, with the potential to create limitless clean energy.
In this time of global uncertainty, the cities that lead globally will thrive locally. As London, Toronto, and Los Angeles make international diplomacy a central part of their economic playbooks, San Diego must too. We can’t afford to sit on the sidelines — we’re competing for jobs, investment, and talent. Global engagement is how we bring those wins home, for all of us.
Todd Gloria is mayor of the city of San Diego. Dr. Nikia Clarke is senior vice president of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and executive director of World Trade Center San Diego.
