Shanghai, located at the foreground of the Yangtze River Delta, the strategic passage from Yangtze River into East China Sea, and the thoroughfare along the sea route of the Far East, is a sea-port city of great renown. Since the first day when the port trade was allowed in the city, Shanghai has become a gathering place for all the merchants and talents, boasting a sort of“ Shanghai culture” mixing an array of Chinese and exotic characters, for which the city gained the reputation as the“ Oriental Pearl”.

Shanghai is the largest economic center with well-founded infrastructure, strong industrial basis, advanced science and technology, and concentrated industry and commerce. Shanghai has utilized 0.06% of the country's land, 1% of China’s population to generate 5% the country’s GDP, 1/4 of the port’s foreign trade volume. The containership handling throughput of Shanghai port has reached the third largest worldwide, and the cargo volume the global number one, cementing Shanghai a very important position in China’s economic growth.
Shanghai is also at the forefront of China’s economic reform. Since China’s opening up and reform, especially since the development of Pudong as an open New Area, Shanghai’s foreign economy has been robustly developing, with ever-increasing openness as well as its pace of globalization. The city’s growing economic strength has enabled it to be a window and a bridge for China to go global and the world to know China better.

Shanghai is the city with best investment environment. Shanghai Municipal People’s Government is committed to build itself as a service-oriented, responsible and law-ruled government. It will accelerate the transform of government responsibilities, promote innovation among government administration systems, improve the investment environment, and create a fair, open and just market for home and overseas investors.

From now on, Shanghai will, under the strategic guidance of the central government and with full implementation of the scientific concept of development, continue to strive towards the goal of building an international economic, trade, finance, and shipping center by 2020. The city will make great strides on its way to become a modern socialist metropolis. For this purpose, Shanghai will be more open-armed to embrace friends both at home and from abroad who share the same grand wish to invest and develop in the city, in which way that a new chapter of orchestra will be written under the joint theme of harmonious growth and mutual prosperity.

Mayor of People’s Government of Shanghai Municipality
Hanzheng