On June 10, 2025, representatives from the Chinese and British industries opened a round-table dialogue on the theme of “Renewed narratives of creative symbiotic cities.” This roundtable dialogue is part of the GBD Innovation Club.

The dialogue was hosted by the Su River Bay area, focusing on the creative industry development in China and the UK. Following the practices and innovations of the cultural and creative industries of Riverside, leaders from the Chinese and the UK industry were invited to discuss the new opportunities brought by the low-carbon transformation of the creative industry. Julia Solodova, representative of the Global Business Area Innovation Club, John Thackara, an expert in sustainable design and senior fellow at the Royal College of Art and visiting professor at Tongji University, Paul Kallee-Grover MBE, strategic adviser to Liverpool BID Company, Teemu Suviala, global chief creative officer at WPP Group’s Longtop, and Yufei Xu, chairman of New Horizons Global Technology took part in the panel.

There is a rich and profound emotional connection between people and water, and rivers often bring prosperity in economic commerce, trade, and cultural creativity. One of the commonalities between them is that the river connects different urban areas and extends to the urban hinterland on both sides of the river, driving the ecological environment, economic vitality and high-quality development of culture and art.

Shanghai and Liverpool have been sister cities for more than 25 years. In Paul Kallee-Grover’s view, both Shanghai and Liverpool are waterside cities linked by “Legacy,” “transformation” and “connectivity” ​​They have commonalities. The long historical heritage of the two cities has shaped the city’s genes, and historical buildings are renovated and reused. Through urban renewal, the waterfront area of the two cities is constantly transformed into a hub of economic, cultural and social vitality. Both Shanghai and Liverpool have a “connectivity” location, as international gateway cities linking local industries to global networks of trade, tourism and innovation.

Julia Sorodova imagined the future positioning of the waterfront based on a global perspective. She believes that waterfront areas first need to meet the needs of different types and backgrounds of users and build social business areas. In addition, creative industries and cultural identity have become core drivers of waterfront areas, building cultural links for communities; Third, “resilient design” is particularly critical, and waterfront areas should pay attention to the layout of green, low-carbon and sustainable industries. Finally, digital technology industries and smart infrastructure are constantly integrated into the waterfront environment, and waterfront areas are a great testing ground for the application of new technologies.

Paul Kallee-Grover, a long-time promoter of exchanges between China and the UK, pointed out that the partnership between Liverpool and Shanghai was at the heart. Based on the mutual recognition of the partnership, he referenced the recent visit ti Shanghai of Nick Small, cabinet member of Liverpool City Council, to expand trade opportunities and bring back to the UK Chinese companies willing to “go to sea.” He also made suggestions from the perspective of the Liverpool Business Improvement District (BID) working with Shanghai’s CBD industry. He suggested that Liverpool and Shanghai could build a “trade and commercial bond” and enhance mutual learning of “business landmarks and innovative ideas.” More effective than this, the two cities will build a “joint innovation platform” to strengthen collaboration in areas such as smart cities and waterfront regeneration.