A speech by Chen Jianhua, deputy party secretary of the CPC Committee of Guangzhou Municipality and mayor of Guangzhou

On the auspicious occasion of the convocation of “Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation”, we feel privileged to conduct an in-depth exchange of views with the distinguished guests and friends from different cities, countries and realms under the theme of “So Dreams Come True”. Such an inter-civilization dialogue is bound to pool our wisdom together and provide food for thought that can help us advance the cause of urban innovation around the globe.

Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation is in and of itself an innovation, which would not have come about without the long-standing close cooperation between Guangzhou and the World Association of Major metropolises. In June, 2011, the proposal for establishing Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation, which would be aimed at rewarding successful practices by cities and local governments in the realm of urban innovation and helping global cities achieve comprehensive, harmonious and sustainable development, was put forward for the first time. This proposal received positive responses and tremendous support from the UCLG and the Metropolis. The proposal was adopted at the World Assembly of the UCLG in December of 2011. The Guangzhou Award represents the first award of international dimension that is initiated by a local government on the platform of international multilateral organizations of cities. It is unprecedented in China and even in the entire world. 

The evolution of cities of humanity is metaphorically a history book that records constant innovation by all nations, countries and regions. As a famous cultural city with a history of 2,226 years, Guangzhou is also a dynamic metropolis that derives its vitality from constant innovation. We are committed to developing Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation into a platform of exchange and cooperation among global cities in the realm of urban innovation. We are also delighted to work with cities around the world in our common endeavor to advance the innovation-driven development of cities through a sharing of experience, inspiration and achievements. 

We have received 255 entries from 153 cities of 56 countries and regions of six continents. These initiatives cover the following eight aspects: urban planning, administrative management, ecological environment, smart cities, housing & transportation, social service, cooperation & citizen involvement and capacity building. After a process of rigorous evaluation by a panel of experts of the Guangzhou Award, five winning cities for Guangzhou Award have been announced, together with ten nominated cities and thirty expert recommendation cities.

It must be an eternal objective of urban administrators to advance development through innovation. It is my firm belief that as long as we maintain the passion and dynamism for innovation, every city is capable of blazing a new trail to development, which can lead to a bright future. Guangzhou stands ready to work with people of every city to make cities more beautiful and to help our people live in greater happiness. To this end, it is imperative that we comply with the trends of urban development in the world, renew our concepts on urban development, explore new paths to urban development and create sound conditions for cities to achieve new headways.