Focus on the two sessions | How does Shanghai stand out from other global cities?

“In 2024, as people look back on the year, their gaze may first fix on Shanghai in the global urban network.

In 2024, Shanghai is expected to reach a GDP of over 5 trillion yuan, making it a leading global city in terms of economic performance. The Shanghai Port successfully handled 50 million TEU containers, becoming the first port in the world to exceed this milestone, leading the global shipping industry for the 15th consecutive year and injecting a “stabilizer” into the world economy.

As AI waves sweep the globe, Shanghai is seizing the industry风口。On the first working day of 2025, the mayor of Shanghai Chen Jining conducted research on model space and AI enterprises. The world-class AI industry ecosystem in Shanghai is taking shape, with an AI industry scale exceeding 380 billion yuan. AI tools have been integrated into the daily lives of citizens, bringing convenience to various aspects of life.

In response to the strongest typhoon to hit since 1949, Shanghai relied on the combination of AI and meteorological technology to accurately predict the typhoon’s path. With the help of digital management platforms, the city has efficiently responded to heavy rainstorms and storms, showcasing meticulous urban management like needlework.

This is a glorious city of people, continuously meeting people’s needs for a better life. In 2024, Shanghai added more than 4,000 nursing beds and over 3,000 cognitive impairment care beds to meet the needs of the elderly. The homes of over 30,000 beds for urban builders and managers in the new era provide warmth and a sense of belonging to deliverymen, waiters, security guards, and other frontline workers in Shanghai.

As people in Shanghai are often observed saying, Shanghai is a “magic city.”

In the past year, Shanghai has exhibited a spirit of “getting things done with courage and seizing opportunities”, taking on the most challenging tasks and becoming a pioneer in Chinese modernization.

Looking ahead to 2025, which is the closing year of the “14th Five-Year Plan”, Shanghai is set to embark on a new journey with new starting points. To build a world-class city with global influence, Shanghai must deepen reforms and opening up, promote the integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, and enhance people’s urban construction. All these are essential “questions that must be answered” for Shanghai to do well.

The answer to how to become a world-class city with global influence does not lie elsewhere; it lies in Shanghai’s mission and responsibilities.

The first city in China with a GDP of over 5 trillion yuan is emerging. The mayor of Shanghai Gong Zheng stated in his New Year’s address that Shanghai’s GDP is expected to reach a new level of 5 trillion yuan in 2024. This means that Shanghai, this shining pearl on the eastern coast of China, has the potential to become one of the cities with the largest global GDP. In 2023, Shanghai’s GDP reached 4.72 trillion yuan. Based on this data and other factors such as economic surveys, it is highly likely that Shanghai’s economic aggregate will exceed 5 trillion yuan in 2024 without much suspense.

What does it mean for a city to have a GDP of 5 trillion yuan? This economic scale surpasses countries like Belgium, Thailand, Argentina, Israel (based on their latest 2023 GDP data). Globally, this economic volume places Shanghai in the same league as New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, London, and Paris. However, digital figures are just one part of the story. As Representative from the National People’s Congress and former Secretary of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Heng Quan told Bloomberg that in recent years, behind Shanghai’s economic growth are structural upgrades, technological advancements, efficiency improvements, urban governance, and high living standards. This is a new feature that appears as Shanghai enters a phase of high-quality development. In fact, this trend has continued into 2024 with Shanghai residents enjoying high disposable income and strong consumption capabilities. This is also one of the driving forces behind consumers’ enthusiasm for coupon grabbing.

Shanghai maintains a healthy industrial structure with multiple industries driving growth simultaneously without relying on a single pillar. Fields like scientific research, finance, trade, manufacturing, and shipping are all thriving in Shanghai. In particular, the modern industrial system is taking shape in fields like artificial intelligence, aerospace manufacturing and large cruise ships which is rare globally. The city is accelerating the formation of a “2+2+3+6+4+5” modern industrial system. Notably, the growth engines of Shanghai’s economy are shifting as new forces in productivity are cultivated and expanded achieving significant progress in fulfilling major strategic tasks entrusted by the