Like other major Chinese cities, Hangzhou is seeking to become more international. That is because the competition for capital, technology and high-level human resources is now global.
The Hangzhou government is promoting the city by hosting key international events such as the G20 Summit later this year and the 2022 Asian Games. But what comes after these events, and how will these advancements benefit the local people?
Lucas Rondez is the CEO of an app called "Nihao," which means "Hello," the first Chinese phrase most foreigners learn to speak.
"I think I want to have foreigners to live in China much easier. Because I've been living in China for close to 10 years. I know there's a lot of difficulties, especially in second and third tier cities," said Rondez.
Besides language difficulties, the Swiss businessman says many services in China are still not open to foreigners, like booking a train ticket online. He hopes his app can improve foreigners' lives here.
"A lot of people coming to China with a lot of dreams in the mind. I mean, it's no longer 'U.S. dreams,' more of the 'Chinese dreams' today," Rondez said.
"So a lot of people come here with a lot of expectation. They don't know, maybe, exactly what they want to do. So they want to find a path in the career, maybe a way to make a new company, or a start-up."
Rondez believes Hangzhou has changed a lot, but there is still a long way to go.
He said, "I think we are really at the beginning. It takes time to make a city well known abroad. I think through the G20, through the Asian Olympic Games, it is the best way. It's definitely the incredible way to make it well known abroad. But I think on the infrastructure, on the opportunities and everything, we are at the very beginning to make the city more international."
Hosting the G20 Summit is an important chance for Hangzhou to promote its image as an international city. The local government hopes a more open city will not only attract investment and business opportunities, but also more high-level, talented professionals from other countries.
"The local government aims to build Hangzhou into a world city with outstanding functions. The city would become a global attraction for leisure, sightseeing, international conferences and exhibitions, in addition to Hangzhou's position as a global center for the Internet industry. The city is also focusing on developing its cultural creativity industry," said professor Chen Jianjun, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University.
Hangzhou is the capital of Eastern Zhejiang province, one of China's most developed regions.
The reason for such high-speed growth is Zhejiang's dynamic private sector. Of China's top 500 private enterprises, 138 are from Zhejiang. More than 6 million Zhejiang merchants are doing business across China. And almost 2 million people from the province are doing business around the world.
