Thomas Sargent: Shenzhen's innovation-led success sets an example for the world

南方财经全媒体记者 李依农 深圳报道

The 2024 Guangdong High-Quality Development Conference is poised to launch in Shenzhen on February 18. As the "first conference of the new year", it highlights Guangdong's commitment to high-quality economic development.

Thomas J. Sargent, renowned economist and 2011 Nobel Prize laureate, praised the Greater Bay Area (GBA) as a marvel of academic, scientific, and entrepreneurial activities. Reflecting on the region's remarkable achievements, Sargent emphasized the potential for groundbreaking innovations to emerge from the GBA, shaping the global landscape for years to come.

As the host city of this conference, Shenzhen, is knowas the city born by innovation. With its high-quality development, has also composed the "Chinese miracle" since the reform and opening up. The success of its economic development has also set an example for the world.

According to Sargent, the entrepreneurial spirit in the Greater Bay Area is truly exceptional. “The founding of Shenzhen, the risky experiment was done, and then the successors said, it's an example for people all over the world”, said Sargent, adding the lessons learned from Shenzhen's success, rooted in the ingenuity and determination of its people.

With a rich history of being the driving force behind China's economic growth over the past 35 years, Guangdong continues to excel. According to the 2024 Guangdong Government Work Report, the province's total import and export volume surged to a record high of 8.3 trillion RMB in 2023. Moreover, its actual utilization of foreign capital exceeded 159.16 billion RMB, with the establishment of 21,685 new foreign-invested enterprises.

Look to the future, he further noted, “There's worldwide, leading businesses here. There are goods that are produced here, that are used all over the world. Those are goods that people thought of in the last ten years. Just think in the next 10 or 20 years, there are goods that we can't imagine that are produced by entrepreneurs and engineers here, they are going to be known not only in their Greater Bay Area, but throughout the world.”

2024年广东高质量发展大会将于2月18日在深圳举行。通过“新春第一会”的形式，彰显广东致力于经济高质量发展的承诺。

著名经济学家、2011年诺贝尔奖获得者托马斯·萨金特在接受南方财经记者采访时指出，大湾区体现了学术、科学和创业活动相结合的奇迹。回顾其一路走来的卓越成就，萨金特强调大湾区涌现出的创新潜力，将塑造未来全球的格局。

此次大会的举办地点选在了素有“创新之城”美誉的深圳。通过高质量创新发展，深圳谱写着改革开放以来的“中国奇迹”；其所取得的经济成就亦为全球树立了范例。

对此，萨金特表示，大湾区的创业精神独树一帜。“就像深圳的建立，是一次冒险的尝试，在取得令人惊叹的成功后，为世界树立了榜样”。他还补充道，深圳的成功源于当地人民孜孜不倦的创新精神、智慧以及决心。

在过去的35年里，广东一直是中国经济增长的主要引擎之一。2024年广东政府工作报告显示，广东总进出口额在2023年创下8.3万亿元人民币的历史新高；实际利用外资超过1591.6亿元人民币，新设外商投资企业达21685家。

展望未来，萨金特指出，“大湾区拥有世界领先的企业，生产的商品走进世界各地的千家万户。而这已是过去十年来的景象。试想，在未来10到20年的时间里，这里的企业家和工程师们还将创造出更多我们无法想象的产品，这些商品将不仅在大湾区内，更会在全世界范围内被人们所知晓。”