G20 china_web

Spotlight on China
SPOTLIGHT ON CHINA
Guangzhou:
a network hub
The city is entering a new journey of openness
and development, writes Wen Guohui
Wen Guohui
Mayor of Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
I
would like to congratulate Hangzhou on hosting
the 2016 G20 summit. Just like Hangzhou,
Guangzhou is both a historical and cultural city
and a vibrant and innovative city. It has ranked
third, in terms of the economy, among the cities in
mainland China for 27 consecutive years. At the core
of the Pearl River Delta city cluster, the city acts as a
growth engine. Now, at the start of our new journey,
Guangzhou is building itself into a network-hub city.
Building a historical and cultural city
On a food security system, the meeting agreed that it
is Guangzhou enjoys a history of 2,230 years. It is the
centre of Lingnan culture, the birthplace of revolution
in China’s modern history, a pioneer in China’s reform
and opening-up policies, and the origin of the Ancient
Maritime Silk Road. Guangzhou is the only port that
has been thriving and busy for more than 2,000 years in
global maritime history. It is an important spot along the
21st-century Maritime Silk Road.
Guangzhou’s airport, Baiyun International, is one of
the three principal airports in China. It has opened 136
international routes to Asia, Europe, Africa, America
and Oceania. Guangzhou’s port has opened 150
container liner routes and conducts trade with more
than 100 countries and regions around the world.
In addition, Guangzhou is one of China’s four major
railway hubs, one of China’s top three communication
hubs, an internet exchange point and one of the
China’s three connection points to the global internet.
Building a centre of industry clusters
Guangzhou has the widest range of manufacturing
and service industries and the highest concentration of
science and technology labour pool and resources in
the country. Each year, foreign trade goods worth $13
million and domestic trade of around RMB 80 billion
are distributed in Guangzhou. Today, 320 companies
have their regional headquarters in Guangzhou and
283 Fortune Global 500 companies operate here. The
city also has 1,919 high- and new-tech companies.
Guangzhou has the highest level of market
openness and the easiest environment for investment
and trade in China. It has topped the Forbes list of
the best Chinese mainland cities for business five
times over the past six years. The city is a model city
74 G20 China: The Hangzhou Summit • September 2016 G7G20.com