Beijing will hold its second Global City Forum on March 30, 2011. Hundreds of experts from home and abroad will attend the one-day event to discuss Beijing's development as a world city.

A General Development Plan approved by the State Council called for the capital to become a modern international city by 2020, and a global city of the stature of London, New York and Tokyo by 2050.

This year, the forum will focus on how Beijing can retain its Chinese characteristics while developing into a world city.

"The accepted list of world cities like London and New York are all in western developed countries. Their characteristics and growth patterns are very different from Beijing. We need to find a path that suits Beijing and suits China," Zhang Lixin, vice director of Beijing's Chaoyang District, said.

Chaoyang is Beijing's most developed district, and includes the capital's Central Business District and the Olympic Park. It is home to 70 percent of the multinational corporations with headquarters in the capital as well as many finance and media companies. Tertiary industries account for 88 percent of the district's economy, and its GDP per capita is more than 10,000 US dollars.

"This is why Chaoyang District has been designated a pilot area for this development. But we are only in the early stages, exploring theory and mapping out solutions to issues such as the imbalance between rural and urban areas, and people's livelihood," Zhang said.

Experts from multinational corporations, financial institutions, international organizations and universities will attend the forum to discuss topics ranging from promoting international cultural exchanges to building global brands in the service sector.

This year's forum will also host the Great Wall Friendship Awards Ceremony, according to Xiang Ping of Beijing's Foreign Affairs Office. The awards, established by the Beijing Municipal Government in 1999, are granted to foreign experts in recognition of outstanding contributions to the capital's development.

The first Beijing Global City Forum was held in March 2010.