Guangzhou helps local firms build global connections

The 2nd Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation, under the theme of "My City, My Dream", will be held in the capital of Guangdong province from Nov 27 to Nov 29, with more than 600 guests from home and abroad expected to attend the event.

The 2nd Guangzhou International Urban Innovation Conference and the 2014 China International Friendship Cities Conference will be held at the same time as the award, bringing the South China metropolis into the spotlight on the international stage.

The 600-odd guests will be from 56 countries and regions. Besides government leaders, there will also be representatives from domestic and foreign enterprises and foreign chambers in Guangzhou.

More than 100 local companies in Guangzhou who are active in international trade and intend to go global will send their representatives to the upcoming great event.

"It is a great platform for local enterprises in Guangzhou to seek for substantive cooperative opportunities with foreign partners," Luo Weifeng, deputy mayor of Guangzhou, said at a press conference on Monday.

"We will hold a special forum under the theme of how enterprises' innovation can push forward a city's development and promote the business opportunities in Guangzhou to guests from around the world."

Three more forums, urbanization and smart cities, the Silk Road Economic Belt and inter-city cooperation, and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiatives, will also be held.

Guangzhou Award was co-founded by Guangzhou government, the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments and the World Association of Major Metropolises in 2011. The biennial award commends the innovative practices of urban development around the globe.

Vienna in Austria, Vancouver in Canada, Seoul in the Republic of Korea, Kocaeli in Turkey and Lilongwe in Malawi won the 1st Guangzhou Award in 2012.

Altogether 259 projects in 177 cities of 57 countries and regions entered for the competition this year. The panel selected 15 projects from which five will be chosen to receive the award at the gala on Friday.

The 15 nominees are Abu Dhabi of UAE, Antioquia Province of Colombia, Boston of the US, Bristol of the UK, Buenos Aires of Argentina, Christchurch of New Zealand, Dakar of Senegal, Eskisehir of Turkey, Gwangju of the ROK, Hamburg of Germany, Hangzhou of China, Jakarta of Indonesia, Linkoping of Sweden, Melbourne of Australia and Rio de Janeiro of Brazil.

The biennial China International Friendship Cities Conference is co-organized by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the China International Friendship Cities Association. Before Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu took up the role as the host in 2008, 2010 and 2012 respectively.

"The conference is an important platform for Chinese and foreign cities to communicate and promotes the healthy, rapid and sustainable development of international friendship cities," Qing Boming, secretary-general of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said at Monday's press conference.

"The conference invites Chinese and foreign city governments, especially those which have established sister-city relations with Chinese cities, to discuss issues related to urban development," he added.