Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - June 4, 2025 (Guangzhou Broadcasting Network - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of 2025 Workshop for Thought Leaders in progress, attendees giving speeches, other attendees
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jordi Vaquer, Secretary General, World Association of Major Metropolises:
"Guangzhou continues to be a city that's open to the world and open to transforming itself constantly. So, this is why we are here in this thought leaders seminar, which is not only about bringing together clever people with very good ideas, but also about knowing how this city is continually innovating."
3. Various of panel discussion in progress, Vaquer speaking
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Maria Bagreeva, Deputy Mayor of Moscow:
"Now we have a huge program of renovating the houses in Moscow. We are trying to renovate energy systems to make them more client-friendly, I would say, so if Guangzhou has experience in these areas, we are ready to share ours and ready to learn from you."
5. Various of Bagreeva giving speech, sitting at 2025 Workshop for Thought Leaders

FILE: Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - Date Unknown (Guangzhou Broadcasting Network - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Various of cityscape

Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - June 4, 2025 (Guangzhou Broadcasting Network - No access Chinese mainland)
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Pedro Rebelo, guest, 2025 Workshop for Thought Leaders (starting with shot 6):
"The innovation in the city of Guangzhou has always been a mark for me personally, and I see that being implemented here in China with the new energy vehicles, with digital tools, that are being implemented from the benefit of the population. And that's the type of experience that I want to bring back to Sao Paulo."
8. Various of panel discussion in progress, attendees

Representatives from 19 cities in 11 countries and five international organizations are gathering in Guangzhou City of south China's Guangdong Province to learn about innovative practices of building resilient, caring, and inclusive cities with digital tools from Tuesday to Friday.

They are attending the 2025 Workshop for Thought Leaders, which officially opened on Wednesday. This year's theme is digital technology and urban governance, organized by Guangzhou City and the World Association of Major Metropolises (Metropolis).

The attendants said that they gained a better understanding of the diversity of urban governance by exchanging views with others at the event.

"Guangzhou continues to be a city that's open to the world and open to transforming itself constantly. So, this is why we are here in this thought leaders seminar, which is not only about bringing together clever people with very good ideas, but also about knowing how this city is continually innovating," said Jordi Vaquer, Secretary General of the World Association of Major Metropolises.

Guests from Russia briefed other participants on the cooperation between Moscow and Guangzhou on climate issues, expressing their hope for international collaboration to address common challenges in urban development.

"Now we have a huge program of renovating the houses in Moscow. We are trying to renovate energy systems to make them more client-friendly, I would say, so if Guangzhou has experience in these areas, we are ready to share ours and ready to learn from you," said Maria Bagreeva, deputy mayor of Moscow.

Guangzhou has won praise from the guests as it has been actively exploring the application of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital twins to enhance governance efficiency, settling a model for global cities to promote sustainable development and build inclusive communities.

"The innovation in the city of Guangzhou has always been a mark for me personally, and I see that being implemented here in China with the new energy vehicles, with digital tools, that are being implemented from the benefit of the population. And that's the type of experience that I want to bring back to Sao Paulo," said Pedro Rebelo, a guest to the event.

The workshop includes programs of visiting innovative demonstration projects such as the Guangzhou Smart City Operation Center and the Guangzhou Public Transport Group. It will also hold in-depth discussions on outstanding cases winning the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation (Guangzhou Award).

The Guangzhou Award is a joint program sponsored by Metropolis and the City of Guangzhou and other organizations, including the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), aiming to recognize good urban governance practices and innovation with public policies, projects, business models, etc.

Since 2012, Metropolis has collaborated closely with Guangzhou, jointly creating an important international stage for urban governance and exchange through platforms such as the award.