A view of Hangzhou, an emerging tech hub in East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/VCG]

Hangzhou held a city promotion and appreciation event in Shanghai on Dec 10, bringing together more than 200 representatives from foreign consulates, international organizations, business associations, and enterprises.

The event showcased Hangzhou's vision of building a "historic cultural city, innovation hub, and eco-civilization capital", presenting a comprehensive urban profile to global partners.

Diplomats expressed strong interest in deepening cooperation with Hangzhou. Sri Lanka's newly appointed Consul General Pamoda Gooneratne highlighted opportunities in investment, trade, and tourism, while Slovakia's Acting Consul General Zoltan Szoke noted potential collaboration with Hangzhou's automotive sector and interest in fostering future city-to-city ties.

The event also highlighted Hangzhou's innovation momentum, powered by leading enterprises such as Alibaba, Hikvision, and emerging tech players including Game Science, DeepSeek, Rokid, and Unitree Robotics. Their global breakthroughs — from gaming and AI to AR and robotics — continue to strengthen Hangzhou's international competitiveness.

As an eco-friendly and livable city, Hangzhou has gained global attention, including hosting UNESCO's 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves in September. The city's international appeal continues to rise: from January to October, it attracted 1,268 new foreign-invested projects and received 1.11 million inbound overnight visitors.

Organized by the Hangzhou municipal government, the event aimed to expand international cooperation and further enhance the city's global profile as it advances toward becoming a world-class modern metropolis.

A public servant introduces policies to expats working in Xiaoshan district. [Photo/xsnet.cn]