The 13th Meeting of International Business Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Beijing was held on May 27. Seventeen consultants from world-renowned multinational companies attended the meeting to offer suggestions on the city's economic and social development.

In his keynote address, Mayor Chen Jining said Beijing as an international metropolis should always put sound and sustainable development in the priority. The mayor said the city's construction must be carried out in four aspects.

First, the construction must stress Beijing's strategic positioning as the capital of China and take the construction of the "four centers" (center of politics, culture, international exchange and technology innovation) as the central task. Second, the city must give priority to removing its non-capital functions, and improve its urban functions and planning. Third, a system to govern the megacity must be established to address urban maladies. Fourth, the construction should focus on the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region as well as the establishment of a world-class urban cluster with the capital as the core city.

The 17 consultants then conducted an in-depth discussion on two topics: developing a higher-level open economy and improving urban construction and management.

Peter Voser, chairman of the board of directors at ABB, said that Beijing is now home to 171,000 electric vehicles, but there are only 20,000-odd charging facilities. He suggested that Beijing should promote the construction of high-power charging stations, and make good use of renewable energy so that electric vehicles can truly become a part of the city's sustainable development.

Urs Rohner, chairman of the board at Credit Suisse Group, said he believes Beijing is undergoing a rapid transition as many industry functions and companies plan to relocate to Xiong'an. Beijing does not necessarily have to be a leader in all areas, but it can consider leaving the role of leadership in certain areas to Shanghai or other big cities, he said.

Nobuhiro Endo, chairman of the board at NEC Global, said Beijing should make use of the most cutting-edge information communications technologies (ICT) to address the city's urban maladies. He suggested that Beijing should promote the application of artificial intelligence, build and improve ICT infrastructure, and lead the construction of China's AI platform.

Regarding how to attract more overseas talents, Mark Tucker, group chairman of HSBC, said Beijing could introduce domestic and international students and entrepreneurs to Beijing by setting up scholarships, grants and tax incentives, and by creating more job opportunities and innovation space for startup companies.

Hong Kong Trade Development Council Chairman Vincent Lo Hong-shui pointed out that in recent years, Beijing and Hong Kong have dedicated themselves to the development of technology innovation. He said he believes the two cities could jointly build technology business incubators, university science and technology parks and startup workspaces. He also suggested to build a service platform for youth innovation and entrepreneurship in both cities. He added that cooperation in the area of science and technology innovation between Beijing and Hong Kong will bring new opportunities for the economic development of both cities.

The International Business Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Beijing was established in 1999, inviting business leaders from world-renowned enterprises to give recommendations on Beijing's economic and social development.

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