Guangzhou released the Blue Book of Guangzhou: Report on City Internationalization of Guangzhou (2026) at a launch conference held on September 14. The release coincided with a symposium focused on global urban development and trends operating under the APEC framework.
The newly published report and subsequent symposium discussions are designed to offer intellectual backing for Guangzhou’s high-level opening-up strategies, high-quality urban development goals, and deeper multilateral cooperation within the APEC framework. Yao Yang, director of the Institute of City Internationalization at the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences and executive editor-in-chief of the report, delivered the primary research findings at the event.
Strategic Priorities for Urban Internationalization
According to Yao Yang, Guangzhou plans to align directly with national planning frameworks to define its strategic positioning. The city intends to leverage high-level internationalization to propel high-quality urban development by concentrating on four key strategic priorities:
- Deepening the integration of advanced manufacturing with modern services while pursuing digital and green transformations to boost the international competitiveness of its industrial system.
- Balancing institutional opening-up alongside robust risk prevention measures to construct a secure, high-level opening-up pattern.
- Upgrading the quality and operational efficiency of its international hub functions and resource allocation systems to cement its status as a strategic pivot in dual circulation.
- Fostering an international-friendly urban environment and developing distinct cultural symbols that project a city brand image rooted in Chinese modernization.
Expanding APEC and Regional Networks
Liu Wei, director of the Institute of International Studies at the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, noted that Guangzhou has already generated substantial contributions through its active participation in major APEC platforms. These include people-to-people exchanges, official city visits, overseas Chinese affairs, sister-city partnerships, and digital promotions centered around Lingnan culture.
Looking forward, Liu stated that Guangzhou should sustain the long-term momentum generated by the APEC “China Year.” Key focus areas for this continuation include institutional alignment, expansion of overseas Chinese networks, integrated cultural tourism, digital promotion initiatives, and brand synergy.
Adding a regional connectivity perspective, Liang Yutian, deputy director of the Institute of International and Regional Studies at Sun Yat-sen University, highlighted Guangzhou’s natural geographical advantages in connecting Southeast Asia while engaging on a global scale. Capitalizing on the ongoing development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Liang explained that the city will solidify its role as a southern hub within the global city network.
This transition involves moving beyond a traditional transport and trade hub into a comprehensive hub. To achieve this, Guangzhou will optimize industrial connections, broaden trade and commercial platforms, coordinate cross-regional industrial chains, and upgrade both urban planning and professional services.
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