The Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City－a flagship cooperative project between China and Singapore－will help develop an innovation-driven economy for Guangdong province, a long-time test ground for China's reform and opening-up policy.

By the end of 2016, 327 companies with 58.5 billion yuan ($8.49 billion) in combined registered capital had moved into the high-tech business hub, according to Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Investment and Development, the company managing the project.

"As one of China's pilot zones for proprietary innovation and a knowledge-based service platform, the knowledge city will include more technology-intensive industries," said CEO Kok Siong Ng.

The knowledge city, opened in 2010, plans to develop biomedicine and green industries in its northern part. It will foster modern medical services, education and training, science and technology services in its middle part and new-generation information technology, cultural innovation and advanced smart equipment industries in its southern section.

By the end of 2020, an estimated 2,000 companies will be registered in the city, according to the company.

Some 52.4 billion yuan was spent on its infrastructure between 2010 and 2016. To better serve businesses and residents, the knowledge city is adding more supportive amenities to its map, with a new neighborhood center under construction and an innovation center already in service.

The neighborhood center is a concept from Singapore, aimed at providing social services to nearby residents. It will facilitate shopping, cultural activities, physical exercise, healthcare and education and provide easier access to government and home services.

The concept was earlier introduced to the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, in 1997.

"A landmark in the city in the near future, the neighborhood center will combine the key features of Singaporean and southern Chinese architecture," Ng said.

Singapore's strengths in technology and social services will help boost the development of the Guangzhou knowledge city, he added.

Guangzhou's trade with Singapore generated 14.04 billion yuan in 2016, including more than 9.08 billion yuan in exports.

By the end of 2016, Singapore had invested $2.73 billion in 552 businesses in Guangzhou.

To date, Guangzhou has invested $190 million in establishing 25 companies in Singapore, according to the Guangzhou government.

To better facilitate technology research in the Guangzhou knowledge city, a joint research institute will soon be launched to conduct research and provide support to knowledge-based businesses within the project.

The institute will be a technological research platform established by several parties, including Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou.

A pilotless aircraft flies in Guangzhou. The Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City helps to spur growth of local high-tech businesses.

Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, is home to the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City.