CHENGDU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“Chengdu is increasingly attracting skilled talent and entrepreneurs to integrate, put down roots, and start businesses in the city. The city continues to become more appealing, which in turn further promotes its international development,” said Xu Wen, head of Southwestern business at PwC’s Chengdu branch.
In the “City of Opportunity 2020” report released by PwC this year, Chengdu ranked 5th in China, only surpassed by Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Xu sees Chengdu’s great advantage as a “new first-tier” city reflected in the city’s appeal to skilled talent. “With China’s economy undergoing transformation and upgrading, innovation capabilities are becoming more and more important. In this context, cultivating developmental advantages is a crucial issue for any city, which means attracting the best talent.”
“Chengdu is very livable and can attract a large pool of skilled workers, as well as their family and friends,” said Xu. “In addition, the city’s development has taken it far beyond traditional modes and culture. Chengdu is now very international and diverse, which has helped attract more global talent, which in turn has further propelled the city’s international development,” he added.
Xu continued, “More importantly, Chengdu adopts a relatively tolerant approach to regulating various industries, striving to maintain new sectors within the scope of legal and business compliance so they can develop healthily. This makes it easier to introduce innovation and continue to attract talent.”
Chengdu now benchmarks itself against the world’s top cities as it strives for a leading position in the network of global cities. As early as 2013, when Xu’s visit to Chengdu coincided with the Global Fortune Forum held there, he was impressed by the level of internationalization.
In Xu’s view, local government support for industry is key to attracting talent. For example, Xu explained, “PwC’s business in Chengdu is located in Wuhou District, which has given us a lot of support and assistance. Since we established in Wuhou, the district government has also become one of our main service partners. This has helped us build trust and relationships with the government, and meanwhile, the government has implemented our advice effectively. This healthy public-private cooperation has benefitted both parties is an incredibly positive development.”
The Chengdu-based development of PwC bears witness to the city’s deepening integration with the outside world. “With the help of PwC’s client network, we have been able to assist local small and medium-sized enterprises to access financial support, as well as new markets, products, and technologies. We strongly recognize how Chengdu provides fertile soil for innovation,” said Xu.
Looking to the future, Xu believes strongly in development prospects for PwC and the city itself: “Chengdu is in a phase of rapid growth, and we are confident PwC can match that while helping promote development, such as supporting the city to train international professionals. Chengdu continues to grow more attractive to talent, and this will spur its international development.”