Consular officials from 14 consulates in Guangzhou and Xiamen, Fujian Province, offered advice on how to build Shenzhen into an international city during a visit last week.

Detlef Boldt, consul general of Germany in Guangzhou, has visited Shenzhen at least five times since he took office about 10 months ago.

After more than two decades development, Shenzhen had become a bustling high-tech city, but it was still not internationally known, he said.

If Shenzhen speeds up building itself into a shopping and tourism center while continuing to develop the high-tech industry, it would greatly help the city's reputation as an international city, with the annual high-tech fair and many interesting places for sightseeing, Boldt said.

France had listed Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen as the most important cities in China to set up businesses, said Pierre Sejourne, vice economic and commercial consul of the Consulate General of France in Guangzhou.

To enhance Shenzhen's reputation in the international arena, the city could take advantage of its proximity to Hong Kong and promote itself as an important part of the Pearl River Delta region, he said.

"So far, there have been no direct flights between Shenzhen and France,"Sejourne said."To become an international city, Shenzhen needs to consider doing something in this area."

Lim Eng Hoe, consul general of Singapore in Xiamen, believes that after more than 20 years'economic development, the time is right for Shenzhen to discuss building the city into an international metropolis.

"An international city, like Hong Kong or Singapore, has the function of being a center for international conferences,"Lim said.

"Shenzhen must speed up its infrastructure construction for international conferences as well as for cultural facilities."

"Shenzhen should hold more cultural activities every year as Hong Kong does because cultural atmosphere is crucial to the image of an international city,"said Caterina Frustaci, head of the consular and visa section of the Consulate General of Italy.

"A stronger cultural atmosphere in Shenzhen will attract people to the city for recreation as well as for business,"she said.

Mochammad M. Suwito, consul for economic affairs of the Consulate General of Indonesia in Guangzhou, believes Shenzhen can better promote itself world-wide by building sister-city relationships with more foreign cities.

Editor: Liao Ming