Xu Kuangdi Attends the Prize for Cities of the Future Ceremony

Xu Kuangdi Attends the Prize for Cities of the Future Ceremony

On November 7, 2013, the Prize for Cities of the Future Ceremony, co-hosted by China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE) and The Paulson Institute, was held in Beijing. Mr. Xu Kuangdi, Advisor of CCIEE and former Vice-Chairman of CPPCC (Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference), and Mr. Henry Paulson, Chairman of the Paulson Institute and former Treasury Secretary of the U.S., addressed the ceremony. Mr. Wang Chunzheng, Executive Vice-Chairman of CCIEE, Mr. Wei Jianguo, Vice-Chairman of CCIEE, Mr. Zhang Xiaochong, Deputy Secretary General of CCIEE, Mr. Richard Daley, former Mayor of Chicago, Mr. Hal Harvey, CEO of Energy Innovation, Mr. James Hexter, Senior Partner at McKinsy & Company, Mr. Huang Lubo, Chairman of Zhongkun Investment Group, Mr. Zhuang Weimin, President of the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University and others attended the ceremony.

In his address, Mr. Xu Kuangdi pointed out that during the process of urbanization, China not only experiences the same problems as other nations have, but also faces peculiar opportunities and challenges. In order to realize China Dream, build an upgraded Chinese economy and promote cities’ sustainable development, scholars and officials need to make deep exploration and unremitting effort. The Prize for Cities of the Future provides China with an opportunity to promote and support innovative projects in sustainable development, which will surely benefits cities in terms of applying the most advanced practices.

Mr. Henry Paulson extended his warm welcome to all the guests and media, saying that the Prize for Cities of the Future does not only offer great incentive to honor innovation and sustainable solution, but also drives Sino-U.S. cooperation in sustainable development. By establishing this prize, he hopes that the decision-makers in the areas of politics and economy will be encouraged to actively implement pragmatic solutions and hence meet the challenges brought by urbanization.   

The Prize for Cities of the Future 2013 was awarded to the Nanhu New Countryside Project in Jiaxing city, Zhejiang province, due to its innovativeness, effectiveness and its role in promoting sustainable ecological development. Ms. Zhao Shumei, Vice-Mayor of Jiaxing, received the prize.