Shenzhen’s Futian district, the city’s administrative and business center, pledged on Tuesday to fully advance internationalization, with a focus on resolving challenges in infrastructure, services, and related industries, in a bid to capitalize on Shenzhen’s historic opportunity to host the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November.
During a high-level meeting held on the first working day after the Spring Festival holiday, district officials designated 2026 as a pivotal year to enhance internationalization, unveiling 105 measures to advance this goal.
The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Nov 18-19, making the innovation hub the third Chinese city to host the high-profile meeting, after Shanghai and Beijing.
Seizing the opportunity to enhance its international influence, Futian has committed to reducing obstacles for global visitors experiencing Shenzhen, particularly in areas such as port entry, daily travel, payments, and government services.
It also seeks to bolster efforts in supporting enterprises going global and attracting foreign investments, striving to create an internationally competitive environment for living and doing business.
In the service sector, key measures include establishing dedicated payment-service counters for foreign visitors at border crossings; developing a 24-hour duty-free shopping mall at the Huanggang Port; and introducing SIM cards that provide international internet access ready for immediate use upon arrival.
In consumption initiatives, the district plans to create over 30 international tourism itineraries; introduce over 85 flagship stores to gather high-end consumer resources; and enhance the international reception capabilities of leading hotels.
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For industries, Futian will push forward the development of green energy and artificial intelligence applications, and attract more top-tier international sporting events and performances to amplify its international impact.
Through these efforts, it aims to increase the number of foreign visitors, their hotel stays and spending, as well as the number of introduced foreign professionals by 50 percent this year.
Also during Tuesday’s meeting, the district launched multilingual maps to facilitate global visitors' travel and shopping, as well as an APEC question-and-answer handbook to help residents better understand and support the upcoming conference.
A southern boomtown of China, Shenzhen boasts world-class conference and exhibition facilities, including the soon-to-be-inaugurated Shenzhen International Exchange Center in Futian. Capable of hosting high-end international forums, the 470,000-square-meter center is located near Xiangmihu Lake.
