The 2025 Conference on High-quality Development International Cooperation of Cities, hosted by the Global Times, is held in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province on December 27, 2025. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT

The 2025 Conference on High-quality Development International Cooperation of Cities, hosted by the Global Times, was held in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province on Saturday. Aligned with the recently concluded Central Economic Work Conference, the event gathered government officials, entrepreneurs and scholars to delve into topics including urban innovative development in the digital intelligence era and the cultivation of new quality productive forces.

In July, the Central Urban Work Conference highlighted the aim of building modern, people-centered cities that are innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, culturally vibrant and smart, stressing that efforts should focus on promoting high-quality urban development. 

Against this backdrop, the conference adopted the theme "Intelligent Connection for the Future - Cities Embark on a New Journey," aiming to serve as a cross-regional and interdisciplinary platform amid China's critical transition from the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25) to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), Xu Bo, general manager of the Global Times, emphasized in her speech.

Xu underscored that the event closely focused on the core proposition of high-quality urban development, building a bridge for exchange and cooperation across regions and fields, and gathering the wisdom and strength of the government, enterprises and academic circles to jointly explore practical paths: promoting innovation-driven intensive urban development and expanding urban development space through international cooperation.

Zhuang Congsheng, former vice-chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, highlighted in his speech the pivotal role of the private sector as the "source of vitality" for urban economies, noting its irreplaceable contributions to technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and employment. 

Zhang Zhigang, former vice minister of commerce, linked industrial upgrading to sustainable urbanization. He stressed that guided by China's new development philosophy — featuring innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and shared benefits — building a modern commercial and circulation system will fulfill the purpose of developing modern, people-centered cities.

Representatives from cities and industrial parks nationwide shared their innovative practices in the conference. 

The city of Guiyang in Southwest China's Guizhou Province, for instance, known as China's "Data Valley," has led the country in digital economy growth for eight consecutive years, promoting the integration of digital technology into urban governance and industrial upgrading through government, civil and commercial application scenarios. 

Weihai in East China's Shandong Province showcased its achievements in green low-carbon development, with the world's first industrial-scale demonstration plant of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor and major offshore wind power projects.

Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan Province, also a key node city along the Belt and Road, boasts seven industrial clusters on the scale of 100 billion yuan ($14.23 billion) and more than 3,400 innovation platforms, while maintaining its title as one of "China's Happiest Cities" for 18 years. 

Other regions such as Ordos in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Yuzhong district of Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Yibin in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nenjiang in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, and Foshan in South China's Guangdong Province also presented their strengths in optimizing the business environment, legalizing governance, ensuring factor supplies, developing characteristic agriculture and advancing manufacturing transformation.

At the event, two thematic dialogues were held, focusing on artificial intelligence empowering urban industries and global practices of ecological collaboration, respectively. The conference also witnessed the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between the Global Times and the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in South China's Hainan Province to explore high-quality development in the health industry.

Since its launch in 2021, the conference has attracted more than 100 cities, key parks, and leading enterprises from around the world, emerging as an important platform for promoting urban high-quality development and international cooperation.