After 40 years of reform and opening up, Shenzhen has risen rapidly from a small coastal town into a international metropolis with global influence. It has created a marvelous miracle in the world history of urbanization with its vibrant innovation across all sectors and prominent advantages in green and low-carbon development. 

Environmental protection has always been one of the priorities of the Shenzhen Municipal Government. Vigorous measures have been taken to promote green, circular, and low-carbon development; maximize the coordinated development of the environment, society and economy; and attain the harmonious coexistence of humankind and nature. The Shenzhen Sustainable Development Plan (2017-2030) sets out a complete set of indicators in four dimensions: innovation-driven strategy, economic development, social development, and environmental improvement. According to the plan, Shenzhen aims to become a world-leading city in terms of sustainable development by 2025, featuring an optimized green development model, stronger economic growth driven by innovation, a more important role of emerging industries as the engine of the city’s development, safer and more efficient urban operation systems, as well as an enhanced sense of gain of people and more tangible benefits for people.

With the soaring development of the city, Shenzhen also faces the challenges posed by prominent issues such as the highly stressed environment and resource reserve, insufficient public services, among others. Thus, innovation is in urgent need to overcome the bottlenecks in future urban development. At present, a new round of global technological revolution and industrial transformation is poised for takeoff, which will bring precious historic opportunities for the concept of sustainability to thrive. Devising medium-and-long-term plans in favor of sustainable development and accelerating the in-depth integration of technological innovation and social development in different fields will serve as the main approach of Shenzhen to sustainability.

We believe that Shenzhen will grow into an increasingly mature, attractive city with more balanced and sustainable development of its economy, society and environment. It will become the cradle of new technologies, products and business forms for the rest of the world and set an excellent example of how megacities realize sustainable development. 

Wang Qiang

Member of the Standing Committee and

Director General of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee