Guangzhou has seized the opportunities afforded it along the Belt and Road, establishing friendly relations with various cities in Asia, Europe and Africa.

At the roundtable Krzsztof Pentkovsky, vice-mayor of Lodz, Poland, who has visited Guangzhou, spoke of the city's excellent education, urban renewal and upgrading.

"Guangzhou is among the centers of Chinese education and has strong power in high-tech, research and development," said Krzsztof. "Also, quite a number of enterprises hope to invest in Guangzhou's logistics and food industries."

The southern Chinese city has grown to be an international exchange center and an intersection of international trade.

Currently, Guangzhou has forged sister-city ties with 36 cities, such as Phnom Penh in Cambodia and the Czech capital Prague in 2013, as well as friendly-city ties with 29 cities, including Saint Petersburg in Russia and Mombasa in Kenya.

Guangzhou is home to 59 consulates, 23 of them along the route, and the city expects to use the initiative to expand its circle of friends in the Middle East and West Africa.

Guangzhou is opening up to the world, innovating fast, and connecting China and the countries and regions along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.