Guangzhou will host the 2017 Fortune Global Forum from December 6 to 8 as part of its pursuit of greater international influence.

By attracting attendees from international companies to a forum themed “Openness and Innovation: Shaping the Global Economy”, Guangzhou hopes to generate more opportunities for investors.

Cai Chaolin, vice mayor of the city, said during a meeting on February 27 in Hong Kong with Gregory So Kam-leung, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the SAR Government, that Guangzhou’s economic output in 2016 reached 1.96 trillion yuan (285 billion US dollars), a 8.2 percent growth y-o-y, ranking right after Shanghai and Beijing in the Chinese mainland.

Guangzhou has made significant progress in emerging industries in recent years, including Internet, bio-medicine, new material, industrial robots, drone and 3D printing.

In 2016, the city saw the establishment of 2,820 new high-tech companies, ranking second nationwide next to Beijing.