CHICAGO - Guangzhou, the host city of the 2017 Fortune Global Forum, held here a promotion event Thursday, to woo enterprises from the US Midwest to invest in the city in southern China.

"The 2017 Fortune Global Forum" is not only a matter of Guangzhou, it is also a platform where the (thinking of) global top 500 enterprises, economists and scholars collide to create wisdom," said Cai Chaolin, vice-mayor of Guangzhou, during a roadshow for the forum scheduled to be held in Guangzhou in early December.

The platform can also enable participants to exchange views, exert a positive impact on the economic and social development, and to create opportunities for enterprises, said Cai.

As a business capital with a history as long as 1,000 years and a gateway in southern China, the megacity is not only a hot destination for commerce and investment, but also a hub with easy global access and innovation spirit, Cai noted.

"Guangzhou and Chicago share so many similarities in business, transportation and technology," said Cai.

The city realized a GDP of $290 billion in 2016, ranking the third after Beijing and Shanghai for 28 years in a row, and it is rated by the United Nations as the fastest growing megacity in the world between 2010 and 2015, according to the vice mayor.

Currently, there are 120,000 sci-tech and innovation enterprises in Guangzhou. According to US business magazine Fast Company, 13 out of China's top 50 innovative companies are based in Guangzhou.

For his part, Chicago Vice-Mayor Steven Koch said this year's forum will focus in particular on innovation revolution, the future of globalization, the 21th Century leadership and sustainable development.

"These are all incredibly important topics for our mutual future, and things we grapple everyday here in Chicago," Koch stressed.

"I would say the fortune story in China is still going on. China is doing very well, so China will continue to serve as the most dynamic driving force for the global growth," said Chinese Deputy Consul General in Chicago Liu Jun.