The Press Conference of 2012 China Urban Competitiveness Report (Hong Kong) was successfully held in Hong Kong on 23 May 2012. It was organized by The Better Hong Kong Foundation and co-organized by Center for City and Competitiveness, The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. “The 2012 China Urban Competitiveness Report” project was led by Prof. Pengfei Ni in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. In addition to the presentation by Prof. Ni at the press conference, the Foundation was also pleased to have invited Prof. Jeff Lin, Professor of Economics and Associate Dean of Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences of the National Taiwan University; Prof. Liu Chengkun, Associate Professor of Faculty of Management & Administration of the Macau University of Science & Technology; and Prof. Shen Jianfa, Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong to share their views and comments on the report.
The top ten cities in 2011 are Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Qingdao and Changsha. Comparing with the ranking result in 2010, the overall gap is narrowed with great changes in the ranking of some cities. Qingdao becomes one of the top ten cities, replacing Dalian. Taipei rises to no. 2. Beijing overtakes Shanghai which becomes no. 4.
Concluding the press conference, Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director of the Better Hong Kong Foundation commented that “The competitive edges, such as strong global control functions and services sectors, will enable Hong Kong to occupy the higher end of the value chain, fortifying her role as gateway connecting China and Asia with the world. It should be recognized that all these competitive edges will, in turn, fortify the status of world city.”
(L to R) Prof. Shen Jianfa, Prof. Ni Pengfei, Ms. Karen Tang, Prof. Jeff Lin and Prof. Liu Chengkun