2023 Asia Pacific Cities International Brand Forum kicks off in Shenzhen

The 2023 Asia Pacific Cities International Brand Forum was held in Shenzhen, southern China's Guangdong province, on Thursday. The forum gathered over 150 people to conduct in-depth discussions on cultural exchange and urban brand building.

Gao Anming, vice president of China International Communications Group (CICG), speaks at the 2023 Asia Pacific Cities International Brand Forum in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Oct. 26, 2023. [Photo/CICG]

Gao Anming, vice president of China International Communications Group (CICG), delivered a speech at the event and praised Shenzhen's remarkable progress in improving its global image. 

Gao articulated the need to dig further into the unique characteristics of cities and create individualized city images, step up efforts to cultivate cultural industries, and explore new ways of international communication. He called for more efforts to take the forum as an important platform to burnish the image and tell stories of Asia Pacific cities. 

Wu Hongbo, honorary chairman of China International Public Relations Association, delivers a speech via video link at the 2023 Asia Pacific Cities International Brand Forum on Oct. 26, 2023. [Photo/CICG]

Wu Hongbo, honorary chairman of China International Public Relations Association (CIPRA) and special representative of the Chinese government on European affairs, said that urban brand building plays a pivotal role in promoting high-quality development. Wu said relevant parties should adhere to the concepts of high-quality development and sustainable development, and facilitate mutual learning of different civilizations so as to build a community with a share future for mankind. 

A roundtable takes place at the 2023 Asia Pacific Cities International Brand Forum in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Oct. 26, 2023. [Photo/CICG]

Two roundtables were held during the forum, with speakers discussing various topics such as urban brand building, business environment, sustainable development, and cultural exchange. Hendy Yuniarto, an Indonesian scholar currently teaching at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said integrating new media technologies with reporting in less-used languages could be better tailored to global audiences and become an effective way to improve urban brands. 

In addition, two lists of excellent urban brand builders and a list of excellent brand activities were released at the forum. The China Urban Brands Development Alliance was launched at the event as well. 

The forum was jointly organized by the Center for Asia-Pacific under CICG and CIPRA.