Experts discuss how to make Shanghai outstanding global city

More than 200 Chinese and overseas experts and scholars met in Shanghai from May 24 to 25 to discuss ways to develop Shanghai into an outstanding global city.

In the past years, Shanghai has been working on becoming an economic, finance, trade and shipping international hub and undoubtedly already possesses the features of a global city, but it was the aim of the experts at the meeting to discuss ways to keep Shanghai on the upward trajectory so it can be labeled not merely a global city, but an outstanding global city.

Yin Hong, vice Party secretary of Shanghai, explained that developing into an outstanding global city is an inevitable choice for Shanghai if it wants to keep up with global trends in economic and technological development.

The city has set a goal of developing into an outstanding global city in basic terms by 2035, and fully fulfilling this ambition by 2050.

Saskia Sassen, a professor at Columbia University who proposed the term "global city", suggested identifying positive indicators that signal a city is on the right path in developing into an outstanding global one, and conversely negative indicators which signal the city is not on the right path.

Wu Zhiqiang, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and vice-president of Tongji University, said that an outstanding global city must integrate global talents, technologies, innovations, and markets.

Otan Herzog, academician of the German Academy of Science and Engineering, suggested creating a measurement system to evaluate a city's current status and to compare it with other cities in the world, which will help the city achieve its outstanding global city goal.

Herzog added that based on comparisons with other cities, Shanghai must improve on its infrastructure construction and innovation capacity in order to realize its ultimate goal.

Wang Zhan, chairman of Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations, said that an outstanding global city of the future should be capable of incorporating diversified cultures, and this can work in Shanghai by integrating Jiangnan culture and western culture.

Tan Qiang, CEO of Hywin Financial Holding Group, considered that in order to become an outstanding global city, Shanghai needs to have more landmark buildings, more convenient life services, beneficial company competition, and a good jobs market.

The experts were attendees of a symposium co-organized by the Shanghai Chinese Overseas Friendship Association, the Western Returned Scholars Association, and the Shanghai Young and Middle-Aged Intellectuals Association.

The symposium that has been held every two years since 1998 has paid attention to topics concerning Shanghai's development.

A two-day symposium on Shanghai's development concludes in Shanghai on May 25. [Photo/wrsa.net]