In about two and a half months, the 2017 Fortune Global Forum will be held in Guangzhou on December 6-8, with the theme as “Openness & Innovation: Shaping the Global Economy”. Since last December, Guangzhou has been holding roadshows across the world to promote both the forum and the city itself.
Recently, the latest Fortune Magazine publishes an article titled “Roadshows tell Guangzhou story”, presenting Guangzhou’s stories which have been told during the roadshows of 2017 Fortune Global Forum around the world.
The article published by Fortune Magazine on September 21, 2017. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]
The article is as follow:
Roadshows tell Guangzhou story
Since last December, a year before the 2017 Fortune Global Forum will take place in Guangzhou, the city has been holding road shows across the world to promote both the forum and the city itself.
The 14 events, with more than 2,000 enterprises and Fortune Global 500 companies participating, have provided good opportunities for CEOs and high government officials to learn new economic opportunities and technological trends in this southern Chinese city. The promotions, initiated in Beijing and rolling across Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Washington D. C., Tokyo, Singapore, Taipei, Chicago, Munich, London, Shanghai, San Francisco and Barcelona, have created an upsurge of global media coverage on China's innovations, uplifting Guangzhou's image to a new high.
The promotions also provided the right interface for the world to learn about opportunities in China, especially amid an era of global economic downturn and a rise of trade protectionism. Sir Peter Bonfield, chairman of world-renowned NXP Semiconductors, said more and more European enterprises now hope to make forays into the Chinese market. When it comes to choosing a specific location, many enterprises only knew Shanghai and Beijing in the past. But now, they are looking for a new region with more opportunities.
Through the Fortune Global Forum promotions, major international enterprises also have become aware of the southern Guangzhou district and port of Nansha, which is both a pilot free trade zone and part of the booming Greater Bay Area of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao. As Cai Chaolin, director of the forum’s Executive Committee, announced, “Nansha will become an investment hot bed for industrial movers and shakers.”
A 30-second promotional video, named "Guangzhou, Flower City in Bloom," was displayed at New York’s Times Square during the Guangzhou’s promotion in New York and Washington. The video features the city’s iconic kapok flower in Cantonese embroidery, the landmark Canton Tower, the International Convention and Exhibition Center Complex at Pazhou, and a Guinness Record of a flying performance of 1,000 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). These and other scenes combine to present the world a beautiful, dynamic, open and friendly city.
Matching this lovely image of the city are Guangzhou's high rankings in global listings of various city matrix.
In June 2017, Guangzhou was ranked 40th out of 361 global cities in the World Urban System Rankings, released by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC), becoming a first-tier international city for the first time.
In March 2017, Guangzhou was named the top Chinese city of opportunity for the second consecutive year in a study by the Chinese Cities of Opportunity, released jointly by PwC China and China Development Research Foundation.
In March 2017, Guangzhou was listed for the first time by the Global Financial Centers Index (GFCI), compiled by Z/Yen and China Development Institute, ranking 37th as an emerging global financial center.
In December 2016, Guangzhou retained its top spot among Chinese cities in the China Sustainable Cities Report 2016: Measuring Ecological Input and Human Development, released by the United Nations Development Program. The report showed that Guangzhou achieved a balanced development and the highest level of comprehensive development among Chinese cities.
Over the past six years, Guangzhou has ranked first five times in Forbes’ China List of Best Cities for Business.
