"Without Zhongshan's unwavering support over the past 14 years, Akeso would never have come this far," said Yu Guoli, director of government affairs at Akeso Inc, at a recent matchmaking event on biological medicine held in Zhongshan. He shared the company's growth story. The biopharmaceutical firm started in Zhongshan and has grown into a globally recognized "star enterprise."

"Communication creates opportunities, and right now that opportunity lies right here in China." Also recently, standing in the exhibition hall at the global headquarters of MingYang Smart Energy Group in Zhongshan, Tiong Tan Hua, chairman and president of Asia Times, a Chinese-language newspaper in Malaysia, gazed for a long time at rows of offshore wind turbine models. Behind him, coordinates of more than 60 countries lit up one by one on a large screen.

On September 15, the China Pharmaceutical Industry Development Conference 2026 will open in Zhongshan, while a media delegation from the Asia-Pacific Media Forum has already visited the city. Two major international events, two different perspectives — yet both share one focus: industry.

As a key industrial city in the Pearl River Delta region, Zhongshan has a strong industrial foundation. Through the eyes of Asia-Pacific media and entrepreneurs, a different industrial profile of the city has emerged: traditional manufacturing is advancing alongside strategic emerging industries and future industries, and the growth stories of local companies are resonating with global industrial dialogue. Rooted in manufacturing, Zhongshan is turning its accumulated industrial strengths into new momentum for opening up and global cooperation.