Timothy Cook: Shanghai is a great city where any dream can come true

“This is a great city where any dream can come true.” Timothy Donald Cook, the CEO of Apple Inc. and one of the idols for global entrepreneurs, spoke highly of Shanghai in his visit to the city on May 14. Clearly it is a warm greeting to the city. Let’s feel the all present liveliness of the city.

“这是一个任何梦想都能实现的伟大城市。” 作为全球创客们的偶像之一，美国苹果公司首席执行官蒂姆•库克5月14日在上海的这句话，显然是对这座城市的一次温情致意。让我们来深深感受上海无处不在的活力。

1. “No.1” of Shanghai 

数字中的上海“第一”  

In his meeting with Cook on May 14, Shanghai mayor Han Zheng said, “Shanghai could not progress without contributions by every person and every enterprise in this city. We expect better development of Apple in China, especially in Shanghai. ”

在5月14日与库克会面时，韩正说，上海的发展离不开这座城市里每一个人、每一家企业的贡献，我们欢迎苹果公司在中国、在上海有更好的发展。

Since it set its footprint in Shanghai back in 2001, Apple has set up its China operation and business center in Shanghai and has grown along with the city.

自2001年进入上海，苹果公司就将公司的中国运营中心和业务中心设在这里，15年来苹果公司与上海共同成长。

Someone also said that quite a few enterprises have to escape from Shanghai as a result of the expensive housing and labor costs here.

不过，也有人说，不少企业觉得上海房价贵、用人成本贵，不得不撤离上海。

If only the visible costs such as the living cost, the business cost and so on are concerned, Shanghai is really in a special position in China right now. However, through careful observation, you will find those leaving Shanghai are basically highly-polluting and low-end enterprises, which conflict with the development orientations of Shanghai. More and more high-end manufacture enterprises, hi-tech enterprises, financial service businesses and so on have grown larger in Shanghai or moved to Shanghai. 

如果单从生活成本、商务成本等某些看得见的成本来说，上海目前确实处在全国的一个高地。可是仔细观察会发现，真正离开上海的企业，多数却是不符合上海发展方向的高污染、低端制造业等类型的企业。更多的高端制造业、高科技产业、金融服务业等，在上海越做越大，或者越来越向上海集中。

As far as foreign investment is concerned, according to the latest research report by the world-renowned Deloitte, the average foreign investment success rate in Shanghai has been over 62% of late, and the one in Pudong New Area has reached 68.3%, the highest in China. To contrast these information, the national rate is just about 30%. By the end of 2003, there had been only 56 regional HQ of multinational companies in Shanghai. However, by the end of 2014, the figure had climbed to 484, 24 of which are HQ in the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, there have been 295 foreign investment companies and 379 foreign R&D centers as well. These figures completely beat those of other provinces or metropolises in China. Shanghai has become the most-populated multinational company city in the Chinese Mainland.

拿外资落地来说，全球知名咨询公司德勤的最新研究报告显示，目前上海的外商投资平均成功率超过62%，其中浦东新区的外商投资平均成功率达到68.3％，位居全国首位，全国的平均水平才30％左右。在2003年底，上海拥有跨国公司地区总部才56家,而到了2014年底，外商在上海设立跨国公司地区总部484家、其中亚太区总部24家，投资性公司295家，研发中心379家。这一数据远超全国其他省市，上海成为中国大陆跨国公司地区总部最集中的城市。

Someone may ask is it true that it is hard for a foreign enterprise or Chinese private enterprise to survive in Shanghai? Let’s look at some recent examples.

有人或许会问，不是说外商、民企在上海站不住脚跟，真的是这样吗？看看最近的几个例子：

Minsheng Life Insurance moved its HQ to Shanghai in 2015. Presently, its network equipment bidding is going well.

2015年，民生人寿将总部搬迁到上海，目前上海总部的网络设备正在招标中。

Alipay.com Co., Ltd. quietly completed change of its registered HQ address from Hangzhou to Pudong New Area in 2015.

2015年，支付宝(中国)网络技术有限公司已低调完成总部变更，注册地址已由杭州更改为上海浦东新区。

It has been reported that Wanda Group would move its HQ from Beijing to Shanghai in 2015 and that Wang Jianlin, chairman of Wanda, loves Shanghai as well.

2015年，媒体报道万达集团将把总部从北京迁到上海，并且王健林很喜欢上海。

2. “Shanghai Advantages” are interpreted in multiple dimensions

“上海优势”被多方位解读

The media have summed up the “Shanghai Advantages”: the natural environment more suitable to expats, more-favorable location advantages, more-favorable and more-developed capital and finance businesses, richer human resources, greater compatibility with the international community, a “thicker” market atmosphere, and more stress on following contracts.       

此前也有媒体总结出“上海优势”：上海的自然和人文环境更合适国际人士生活；上海区位优势更方便；上海资本和金融业更为便捷和发达，人力资源更为丰富；上海更国际化，市场化氛围更浓，契约意识更重。

“There are richer technological and human resources and complete comprehensive infrastructure facilities here, which have brought convenience and higher efficiency. Financial leaders merge here, which is equally important.” Wang Huimin, an official from Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said, “These all have laid good foundation for Shanghai to attract innovations and businesses. Its internationalism and openness are both its selling points as well.”

“科技资源比较丰富，人才比较集聚，综合基础设施也比较完备，带来了很多的便捷和高效率，还有一样很重要，上海是一个金融资本汇聚的城市。”上海社科院创意产业研究中心副主任王慧敏认为，“这些都为上海吸引创新创业打下了很好的基础，再加上上海的国际性和开放度，都是上海的吸引力所在。”

3. How does Shanghai attract the young professionals?

上海拿什么吸引年轻创客们     

Obviously, what Cook said is an encouragement and confirmation of young professionals in this “great city”.

显然，库克的上述表态也是对这座“伟大城市”年轻创客们的一个鼓励和肯定。

As Han Zheng said to Cook on May 14, the development of a city needed a sustainable vitality, so higher positions and more opportunities could be provided to the young people. 

正如韩正5月14日在接见库克时所说，一座城市的发展要有源源不断的活力，就要给年轻人更大舞台、给创新创业者更多机会。

Professor Zhang Jun, director of Chinese Research Center of Fudan University, said in an interview, “The solid industrial foundation and numerous colleges and research institutes in Shanghai provide the powerful supporting ability and R&D ability to the innovative enterprises, which is unparalleled by many other provinces or cities.” It is believed that innovative enterprises incubated from these maker centers and incubation centers will not necessarily fail to create another “Jack Ma” or “Ma Huateng”, as time goes on.

复旦大学中国研究中心主任张军教授在一次采访中说道：“上海的雄厚的工业基础、众多的高校和研究院所，它们联合为创新企业提供了强大的配套能力和研发能力，这是许多省市不可比拟的。”相信假以时日，这些从创客中心、孵化中心“孵化”出来的一个个创新企业，他们未必不能诞生下一个“马云”、“马化腾”。