Open and dynamic hub to see more international events

Being an open and inclusive international metropolis, the South China city of Guangzhou is ushering in a growing number of international events.

Following the 2017 Fortune Global Forum, set to take place from Dec 6 to 8, the city will host the World Route Development Forum in 2018, the 31st IAPH World Ports Conference in 2019 and the 13th Metropolis World Congress in 2020.

With the theme of "Openness and innovation: Shaping the global economy", the upcoming meeting is designed to provide cooperation opportunities for representatives of the business community from around the world.

The World Route Development Forum is expected to bring myriad business opportunities to Guangdong and the whole country's aviation industry, while the World Ports Conference, held every two years, is expected to play a big part in global economic development.

Liu Baochun, director of the Guangzhou office of foreign affairs, said the city will expand its economic ties and cultural links with the rest of the world in the future.

Guangzhou will increase its participation in the country's Belt and Road Initiative, share global urban management experiences and speed up construction projects that boost its role as a modern international metropolis and an international exchange center, he said.

"Guangzhou is supported by the city government and has successful experiences in organizing major international events," Liu added.

Analysts attributed the preference of those international event organizers for Guangzhou to the city's endeavors to turn itself into a major communication hub in the world, as well as its strategy to grow into an aviation, shipping and innovation hub.

They said that the upcoming events will at the same time help Guangzhou to become more deeply involved in economic globalization.

Official statistics show that Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport has opened around 140 international flights, linking Guangzhou to more than 200 destinations around the world daily. It has become the third-busiest airport on the Chinese mainland, following Beijing and Shanghai.

The airport handled more than 55 million passengers last year and the figure is projected to reach 80 million in 2020.

The city's cargo handling capacity reached 544 million metric tons last year, ranking No 6 in the world.

The Nansha port area is located in the geometric center of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

(China Daily 06/28/2017 page10)