BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Experts, scholars and think tanks from home and abroad participated in an event on megacity governance in Beijing on Sunday, exploring ways to jointly build a more inclusive community of megacity governance.
Citizens take a leisurely stroll on a greenway in Chaoyang District, Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
"Megacities are becoming the engines of development and whether the future of the world is sustainable will depend largely on how megacities are governed," said Zhu Juwang, Director of the Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
As Zhu said, "Urban planning and governance need to be participatory and inclusive. Initiatives like participatory citizen feedback are changing how cities work. They help build cities that are more responsive to people's needs."
Wang Shaofeng, Party Chief of Fengtai District in Beijing, held that the district has explored "co-creating visions, co-formulating plans, co-acting through partnership, co-solving issues, and sharing achievements" in urban governance, fostering step by step a community of urban governance.
The core of digital government is shifting from "construction" to "operation" currently, noted Shi Wei, deputy head of Xinhua Research Center for Digital Government, saying that megacities should leverage digital government operation and respond proactively to needs of citizens and companies to enable more efficient and smarter city governance.
Megacity governance is a process featuring highly efficient, precise and safe distribution of people flows, logistics, energy, information and capital, and behind all these are refined management and support of supply chains, held Jia Xiaobo, senior vice president of JD.com, Inc.
At present, JD.com, Inc. is actively creating a "super supply chain" to integrate big data and technological innovation accumulated across various supply chain scenarios into all aspects of comprehensive urban governance, aiming to help contribute to a more livable, safer and more efficient urban life, added Jia.
During the event, Xinhua Research Center for Digital Government, the Institute of Digital Government and Governance of Tsinghua University, and other domestic and foreign think tanks initiated a joint plan to boost megacity governance-related mutual learning and cooperation.
Petr Bystron, Member of the European Parliament, said that global cities have emerged as the primary stages for economic growth, technological progress and social transformation, and innovations by some Chinese cities in intelligent mobility solutions, digital city platforms, energy management technologies, etc. have provided valuable research cases for policymakers and urban planners around the world.
In the future, Petr Bystron expected China and Europe to strengthen urban development cooperation in fields such as energy efficiency, climate change adaptation, and digitalization of public services to further benefit the people.
Ötüken Senger, Mayor of Kars, Türkiye, thought that regional logistics hubs are ushering in new opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative and cities should seize these opportunities to enhance inter-regional cooperation.
(Edited by Duan Jing with Xinhua Silk Road, duanjing@xinhua.org)
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