The Consul General of the United States in Shanghai, Hanscom Smith, has emphasized the importance of openness and legal transparency in developing local innovation during his keynote at TechCrunch Shanghai. He made the comments in response to questions about the legal ecosystem for tech in China. The US has been adding an increasing number of incentives aimed at promoting the China-US tech trade relationship. They have also introduced programs aimed at attracting American students to study in China, which Smith also mentioned during his talk. Despite being periodically compared to Silicon Valley, China’s tech hubs still suffer from a perceived lack of innovative drive as well as poor IP protection.