The central government wants Shenzhen to set an example in sustainable development for the rest of the country, an analyst said after Premier Wen Jiabao's whirlwind visit last week.
The premier made a brief stopover in Shenzhen on Thursday after attending a leaders' summit for tsunami victims in Jakarta. He visited the Daya Bay nuclear plant and a hi-tech company.
Mr Wen told Guangdong leaders that Shenzhen should aim for sustainable growth and improved co-operation with Hong Kong.
He also highlighted the city's role as a symbol of the mainland's economic reform and opening policy. 'In this sense, Shenzhen is not only Shenzhen's Shenzhen, nor is it Guangdong's Shenzhen. It is the nation's Shenzhen,' Mr Wen said.
Shenzhen Party Secretary Huang Liman said the premier had stressed the central government's support for the city during his one-day visit.
'He told us that the central government holds Shenzhen as a very important city and has pinned high hope on us,' Ms Huang told a group of professors at Shenzhen University last week.
It was the second visit by Premier Wen in less than two years. He also sent an inspection team to the city last year to help it formulate a new development strategy.