Beijing and Shanghai among 'world capitals of the future': Forbes

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-09-04 15:57

The country's two metropolitan centers Beijing and Shanghai are emerging as two of the "world capitals of the future," according to Forbes, an American business and financial news company.

Other cities making the list are Mumbai, Calgary, Dallas, Dubai, Houston, Moscow, Perth and Sao Paulo.

"In less than a lifetime, we have seen the rapid rise of a host of dynamic new global cities -- and the relative decline of many others. The world capitals of tomorrow may largely be not in the Western world, but in countries such as China, Russia and Australia," states the Forbes report.

Many of the cities who made the list were either previously obscure or better known for their destitution than their rapid construction less than a quarter century ago, says Forbes.

While many of them have not yet surpassed current leading global centers like Tokyo, London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Singapore and Hong Kong in wealth or economic power, they are "clearly gaining on them, and with remarkable speed," the report said.