International neighborhoods refer to urban public spaces of global standards, serving as social living communities where people of different nationalities live, work, socialize, and relax within a specific geographic area.

In 2022, Guangzhou launched 12 pilot international neighborhoods, including Ersha Island, Canton Tower, Shamian, Liede Subdistrict, Guangzhou Design Capital, Longhu Subdistrict, Airport Business and Trade Zone, Sunac Resort, Clifford Estates, Jiaomen River, Liuxi Hot Spring Tourism Resort, and Phoenix City, aiming to explore how these neighborhoods can drive the city's internationalization and help establish Guangzhou as a hub for international exchanges.

In recent years, based on its local conditions, Guangzhou has cultivated three types of characteristic neighborhoods: those integrating industry and city, those integrating culture, commerce, and tourism, and those with a friendly living environment. Additionally, Guangzhou has promoted a "one neighborhood, one brand" approach to developing international-standard neighborhoods with distinct local styles, forming pilot models of international neighborhoods with differentiated development paths.

Pilot neighborhoods leverage market-driven and intelligent means to expand high-quality services, including introducing multilingual medical care and cross-border health insurance, as well as enhancing international talent housing—continuously upgrading international public services. Guangzhou has built a "one-stop" service platform for international talents and introduced innovative policies that attract multinational and foreign-funded enterprises, contributing to the growing clusters of international talent and industry. Additionally, regular cultural exchanges in these neighborhoods have deepened global resource connections, with notable visits including French President Emmanuel Macron, former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and members of the consular corps in Guangzhou.