Forbes' 2015 list of "Best Chinese Business Cities" was released yesterday (December 6), and Guangzhou won the top spot for the third straight year, based in part on the balanced strength of its economy.
Guangzhou not only maintained overwhelming superiority in passenger and freight transportation metrics used by Forbes, but it also increased in its talent and consumptive power indices. Its urban competitiveness also continued to accelerate, according to Forbes.
In 2014, passenger throughput at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport reached 54.78 million, ranking 16th globally -- another sign of the city's economic well being. Cargo and container throughput at Guangzhou's ports reached 0.5 billion tons and 16.63 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) , ranking No. 5 and No. 18, respectively, in the world.
At the same time, Guangzhou has gradually developed into a modern business city, with e-commerce developing rapidly. The number of companies engaged in cross-border e-commerce has reached 777. From January through October, the city's e-commerce trade volume enjoyed fast growth, with its scale of trade ranking first in the country. Among the world's top 500 companies, 236 enterprises are investing and developing in Guangzhou, helping spur a sharp rise in the city's economic strength.
