This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. To mark the occasion, we are publishing a series of reports celebrating the city's achievements in different aspects over the past four decades.
By virtue of its openness and pioneering spirit, Shenzhen has been continuously improving its global competitiveness and marching toward the world stage with remarkable achievements over the past four decades, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.
Opening to the outside world has enabled Shenzhen to radically change from an agricultural county to a modern metropolis, and constantly create world miracles representing the rapid development of emerging cities.
In 2019, the gross domestic product of Shenzhen reached 2.69 trillion yuan (US$396.6 billion), second only to Shanghai and Beijing.
The 40-year-old Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (SEZ) boasts the third-largest container port in the world, the largest checkpoint in Asia, and one of China's five largest airports.
It is home to eight Fortune 500 companies, including Huawei, China Merchants Bank, Ping An Insurance, Tencent, Vanke, Amer, Evergrande, and Shenzhen Investment and Holdings Co. Ltd.
Shenzhen has successively established friendship city relationships with 88 cities in 56 countries. It has a legion of international high-end talent, and Nobel laureates such as Roald Hoffmann and Arieh Warshel have set up key laboratories in the city.
All kinds of data can be regarded as footnotes of Shenzhen's success, the Daily said. According to the Economist, the world now counts about 4,300 SEZs. But very few of them have been anywhere near as successful as Shenzhen.
Shenzhen has taken the lead in readjusting the industrial structure and developing high-tech and other pillar industries. Meanwhile, the city has beefed up efforts to attract foreign investment and develop export trade.
Shenzhen-made products are gaining traction in the world. TV sets, consumer drones, robots, containers, boarding bridges and other "Made in Shenzhen" products of high quality and high added value have made Shenzhen brands increasingly influential across the globe.