It was impossible for overseas dignitaries at last week's China Hi-Tech Fair in Shenzhen to be unimpressed by the special economic zone's transformation and its embrace of cutting-edge industries.
The expressway along which government ministers and Nobel laureates were whisked to the fair is lined with greenery and towering new office blocks. 'One can feel the energy and determination of the people in this city,' said Stephen Putnam, president of Raymond James Financial Services and former chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market and the National Association of Securities Dealers. 'Everything about this fair sparks excitement.'
Home-grown firms such as Huawei Technologies and Zhongxing Telecommunications challenge multinationals in the mainland's huge market for fixed-line and mobile switching equipment.
According to Mayor Yu Youjun, high-technology products account for 47 per cent of Shenzhen's industrial output. Its hi-tech exports reached US$11 billion (HK$85 billion last year - 24 per cent of China's total.
These may seem like the sort of vague statistics Chinese government officials often cite to prove grandiose claims.
But Du Qingshan, head of the Planning and Finance Department at Shenzhen's Science and Technology Bureau, can produce a detailed list of products designated as hi-tech each year by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Customs and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation. These range from software to fertilisers.