Guangzhou has achieved remarkable outcomes in its pursuit of sustainable development, and the city's efforts will inspire other cities both in China and in other countries. 

The city has boosted its economic development by offering more and better education for people, and its special education program for children of immigrant workers has promoted social inclusion.

Guangzhou has been outstanding in protecting the natural environment through technical innovations, building green infrastructure and implementing strict regulations. It has made achievements in areas such as the prevention and control of water pollution, the electrification of urban buses and the afforestation of Baiyun Mountain. 

Wing Thye Woo is now a professor of economics at the University of California, Davis and vice president of the Sustainable Development Solution Network Asia.