Guangzhou elected as Metropolis president

 Update:2020-12-02    Source: Newsgd.com

Photo provided to Newsgd

On November 30th, World Association of the Major Metropolises(Metropolis) organized the 13th World Congress online. The Congress was hosted by Guangzhou and was attended by representatives of 141 member cities. At the congress, Guangzhou was newly elected the Metropolis president.

Lin Songtian, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said at the opening ceremony that the World Metropolis Association proposed the establishment of a "global sanitary city platform" during the epidemic, and made positive contributions to strengthening international anti-epidemic cooperation. He said that the association is expected to cooperate with other cities to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Wen Guohui, Mayor of Guangzhou, said that Guangzhou is willing to work with all member cities of the Metropolis to realize the organization’s strategic plan of 2021 to 2023. Guangzhou will help other cities to achieve the goals sustainable development. He reiterated “Guangzhou’s commitment to cooperation and working together with global cities in terms of anti-pandemic solutions, environmental protection, natural disasters and other challenges we face, to ensure the health and safety of our citizens.”

Metropolis is a global network of major cities and metropolitan areas. Since 1993, Guangzhou has been a Metropolis member. Since 2014, Guangzhou has served as the co-president city. Guangzhou also took a great step forward in boosting its leadership on urban innovation through the launch of the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation in 2012. Every three years, Metropolis organizes a World Congress in order to facilitate face-to-face encounters and fruitful exchanges. After this congress, Guangzhou will perform the duties of the new president.

International Cooperation Center Launched in Guangzhou

 Update:2020-12-03    Source: eguangzhou.gov.cn

The launching ceremony of the Guangzhou International Cooperation Center (GICC) is held on Nov 28.

The launching ceremony of the Guangzhou International Cooperation Center (GICC) was held on Nov 28, inviting around 60 guests, such as representatives from overseas cities, business associations, education institutes, as well as investment and financing institutions.

GICC is an international communication platformestablished by Guangzhou that aims to deepen exchanges and cooperation with cities around the world in areas spanning economy, trade, science, education, and culture.

Currently, the center has received intended applications from 30 organizations, with 10 organizations from 10 countries and regions settling in the first phase of the Center, including Oxford University Innovation’s China Subsidiary, the China-Britain Business Council, and the liaison office of Fukuoka, Japan in Guangzhou.

Guangzhou's intelligent manufacturing output is 53.5 billion in first three quarters

 Update:2020-12-15    Source: Newsgd.com

Photo provided to Newsgd

On December 11, Guangzhou held the first meeting for the membership of the Industrial Robot Manufacturing and Application Industry Alliance. The meeting has been held in five session with this being the latest. Huang Xing, the executive vice chairman of the alliance, released sales data for the intelligent manufacturing industry in Guangzhou in 2019 and the first three quarters of 2020. Data shows that the output value of Guangzhou's intelligent equipment and robots in 2019 was nearly 63 billion yuan, an increase of about 11%. The output value of intelligent equipment and robots in Guangzhou in the first three quarters of this year is nearly 53.5 billion yuan.

According to the survey, the total operating income of 68 intelligent manufacturing companies of the alliance in 2019 totaled 43.8 billion yuan, an increase of 11% over 2018.

From the perspective of application industries, in 2019, the Guangzhou market purchased 6,355 robots (including automatic guided vehicles (AGV)). Among them, 1,103 units were purchased through Guangdong, mainly in the automobile manufacturing industry, metal products industry and general equipment manufacturing industry. The market share of domestic robots was 32.5%, an increase of 6% compared with 2018. The market share of domestic robots continues to increase.

It is worth mentioning that although operating income continues to grow, compared with previous years, there are 15 companies whose sales have declined. In the past two years, the market has undergone more obvious changes, and a trend of decline in some markets has appeared.

In the first three quarters of this year, Guangzhou sold a total of 4,165 industrial robot bodies, with total sales of 2.53 billion yuan. These figures show that under the pandemic, the development prospects of the intelligent manufacturing and robotics industry are capable of great improvements.

Three-year action plan transforms city's international image and economy

 Update:2020-12-30    Source: China Daily

Guangzhou, as an important city involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, has benefited from a three-year (2018-20) action plan to advance the construction of the BRI and made substantial progress in building a new system for high-level opening-up and an export-oriented economy.

The city has strengthened communications and launched international events to promote its image. Since 2016, 13 new consulates general and 26 international sister cities have been added.

Guangzhou has also made efforts to accelerate the construction of an international transport hub.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport's third phase broke ground in September. After its completion, the airport's flight network is expected to cover 50 cities in 29 BRI-involved countries and regions. It is to increase to No 11 in the world in terms of annual passenger throughput.

Guangzhou Port has opened 216 container routes, including 110 overseas routes. Its cargo handling capacity and annual container throughput both rank fourth in China.

A Japanese beverage business representative promotes a product to a potential buyer in Guangzhou. CHINA DAILY

The city has sped up the layout of new infrastructure and its 5G construction is at the forefront of the country. Guangzhou can complete 1 billion picture interface calls every day.

To support companies' expansion in the international market, Guangzhou has sped up the construction of customs clearance at ports, providing one-stop integrated services for main businesses in international trade.

From 2017-19, Guangzhou invested in 109 new companies and institutions in the countries and regions involved in the BRI.

The Sino-Saudi Jizan economic city is an important BRI project. Construction began in January.

Guangzhou Pan-Asia PET Resin Company launched a petrochemical project in the city involving more than $1 billion in investment value. It marks the largest single overseas investment project and an example of Guangzhou's advanced manufacturing industry investing abroad.

The distribution of foreign-funded financial institutions has been optimized in Guangzhou in recent years. By the end of 2019, a total of 41 foreign financial institutions from 16 countries and regions have set up 77 branches in the city.

Financial institutions in Guangzhou are participating in the construction of the BRI.

China Development Bank Guangdong branch provided 250 billion yuan ($38.28 billion) and the Export-Import Bank of China Guangdong branch set up a Belt and Road major project reserve and launched a plan.

Meanwhile, Guangzhou attaches importance to cultural exchanges.

The city led the establishment of the Maritime Silk Road protection and joint world heritage application alliance, with 26 member cities, in an effort to promote cultural heritage preservation and exchanges.

The event series Floral Whisper Along the Silk Road－Cultural Journey of Maritime Silk Road hosted by Guangzhou was held in countries and regions including Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Cyprus.

Guangzhou to attract more international talents

 Update:2021-01-05    Source: eguangzhou.gov.cn

The Regulation of Guangzhou on Science and Technology Innovationwas recently approved at the 44th session of the Standing Committee of the 15th Guangzhou Municipal People's Congress, and will be implemented following approval by the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee.

According to the regulation, Guangzhou will build a technological innovation axis linking the city's key nodes, with the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City and the Nansha Science and Technology City at the two ends, and will attract first-tier talents, colleges and universities, research institutions, and sci-tech enterprises from around the nation.

It is also proposed that development of core technologies in key areas such as artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, intelligent connected vehicles, biomedicine, brain science and brain-like research, new energy, as well as new materials, will be supported.

Guangzhou will also increase funding for training and introducing sci-tech talents, carry out pilot programs for skilled migration, construct apartments for skilled workers, and implement a green card system for talents, which will ensure that high-level sci-tech talents without household registration in Guangzhou will enjoy the same treatment as local citizens.

According to the regulation, Guangzhou will focus on bringing in and training four types of high-level sci-tech talents and teams.

These are: international top strategic scientists and teams of scientists in basic research or core technology research in strategic emerging industries; talent teams initiating strategic industrial projects, extending industrial chains and mastering core technologies; talents and talent teams in the high-end service industries for sci-tech innovation; and talents and talent teams recognized by the Guangzhou municipal government that play a leading role in sci-tech innovation and entrepreneurship or industrial development in Guangzhou.

Demand from TMT industries remain robust in Guangzhou’s office rental market

 Update:2021-01-12    Source: Newsgd.com

Guangzhou’s Grade-A office rental market continued to warm up in the second half of 2020. However, the new demand citywide was at its lowest over the past ten years the due to Covid-19 pandemic. The average rent dropped to 166.4 yuan per square meter per month by the end of Q4, according to Savills, a global property agent.

5 Grade A office projects have been launched in Guangzhou throughout 2020, pushing up the vacancy rate to 8.7 percent by the end of the year. Although the rental market has been warming up with increasing enquiries and property inspection since the second half of the year, some enterprises tended to extend the decision-making process as they are still relatively cautious about office cost control.

Demand from the TMT industries has been robust and contributed to most of the annual growth as the local economy bounces back while the information technology industry is rapidly developing. The demand from the financial industry has been strong throughout the year and saw large leasing transactions every quarter.

Guangzhou is expected to see its new grade A office supplies peak in 2021. New projects will be located in Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe Bei and Pazhou. The average rent is anticipated to continue to decline due to new demand.

According to the Savills’ report, Guangzhou’s office market is expected to attract more domestic and oversea investors with the rapid development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The enquiries, project inspection and transaction activities should all continue in 2021.

Guangdong airport leads world in passenger flow

 Update:2021-01-26    Source: chinadaily.com.cn

A Qatar Airways flight lands at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangdong province.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in the Guangdong provincial capital surpassed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the United States to become the world's busiest airport of 2020.

Despite the pandemic last year, the Guangzhou airport, one of the three busiest on the Chinese mainland, handled 43.77 million passenger trips last year, around 800,000 more than the figure recorded at the Atlanta airport, according to a statement released by Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on Monday.

Last year, with the pandemic in full swing, the Atlanta airport logged 42.92 million passenger trips, a year-on-year decline of 61.17 percent.

This is the first time a Chinese airport has led the world in passenger flow, the statement said.

As the pandemic began to be controlled on the Chinese mainland starting in April, Guangzhou Baiyun began handling more passenger trips than its Atlanta counterpart. Large industrial companies in the province, home many foreign-funded companies, joint ventures, State-owned and private firms, resumed production, the statement said.

For the month of November, Guangzhou Baiyun handled more than 5 million passenger trips, becoming the first airport to process more than 5 million passenger trips on the mainland in a single month.

The rapid growth in the passenger flow at Guangzhou Baiyun indicates a strong economic rebound in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as the coronavirus has basically been controlled on the mainland.

Guangdong's GDP reached more than 11 trillion yuan ($1.69 trillion) in 2020.