In 2013, Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, will become the fourth Chinese city to host the Fortune Global Forum, an international conference for multinational executives and political leaders.

Andy Serwer, editor-in-chief of leading business magazine Fortune, said: "Chengdu is the ideal location and a perfect city for the event thanks to a number of attributes: its ability to attract multinationals, its 15 percent GDP growth as well as its advantages in transportation, education and resources. To date, over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies have set up operations in the city."

Ge Honglin, mayor of Chengdu, said most of the 212 multinational corporations in Chengdu are engaged in the sectors of information technology, automobile manufacturing, biomedicines and new materials.

"We are now setting our sights on luring more Fortune 500 firms in the modern services sector," he said, vowing that Chengdu will make tireless efforts to offer better services for companies.

Ge said it is "more than fitting" that the forum is to be convened in Chengdu given that its theme is "China's New Future".

He said the city, touted as the "gateway to West China", will help global business leaders expand their horizons and deepen their insights into the economic growth in West China, a region boasting high potential relative to the emerging economies in the world.

It will also be an opportunity for global business leaders to get a firsthand look of the city's urban development.

"In Chengdu, the gaps between urban and suburban areas have been significantly reduced, and we have been recognized as a national model for urbanization reform," Ge said.

He said the forum will also allow foreign executives to see the miraculous way Sichuan has recovered after the disastrous Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008.

Moreover, Ge said executives will see a world of difference in Chengdu's development when compared to that of other emerging Chinese cities because it has struck a distinctive balance between slow life and fast economic growth. This type of lifestyle makes it suitable for those working in high-end sectors, the mayor noted.

Chengdu was designated as the world's gastronomy capital and has a time-honored tradition of offering residents a leisurely and easy life.

Rapid growth

Statistics indicated that Chengdu's GDP hit 685.5 billion yuan last year, up 15.2 percent year on year. The figure marked a fivefold increase over the year of 2000's level.

Its annual economic growth has ranked number one among the capitals of the 12 western provinces.

In 2011, Chengdu Airport's passenger handling capacity hit 29 million, which helped make Chengdu the fourth national-level aviation hub recognized by the Civil Aviation Administration of China early this year.

Chengdu is also a top city in West China in terms of the number of overseas banks and consulates.

A total of 12 overseas banks and nine consulates have set up there.

Also worth mentioning is that one processor out of every two laptops in the world was made in Chengdu and more than half of the world's iPads were made there.

In 2011, the Tianfu New Town, an emerging business area in the city's southern part, was inaugurated, and it is expected to become a new growth engine of West China.

In addition, Chengdu has several world's cultural heritage sites, including the ancient Jinsha Civilization ruins, the 2,000-year-old Dujiang Weir, and Qingcheng Mountain, the birthplace of Taoism. The world's tea culture was also reportedly born in Chengdu.

A total of 108 pandas are now living in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Contact the writers at yangcheng@chinadaily.com.cn and liyu@chinadaily.com.cn