Foldable screen and 5G innovations on smartphones, electric cars running on roads in Europe, faster and more comfortable high-speed rail services and super-tall skyscrapers that fit into city skylines – speakers shared their vision on industrial, architecture and digital designs during the opening session of World Design Cities Conference on Thursday.

The WDCC, making its debut this year, opened in Shanghai, reaffirming the city's design achievements while promoting the construction of a "City of Design."

French designer Philippe Patrick Starck; Wu Guanghui, the chief designer of China's home-made C919 aircraft; and Richard Yu, Huawei's head of consumer business, gave keynote speeches during the opening ceremony.

Huawei's key research work on wireless technology, smartphones and automobiles are conducted in its Shanghai laboratory, including the latest foldable phone models and smart electric car system.

The city has become a powerful engine for the tech giant's global research network and is helping Huawei build its own industrial design DNA gradually, according to Yu.

"Design and innovation bring key power for firms to upgrade in the industry chain and build their own brands globally," Yu told the WDCC.

Echoing Yu, Wu noted that the majority key design tasks of C919 have been done in Shanghai.

Meanwhile, Shao Jingfeng, global design director at SAIC Motor, China's largest automaker, pointed out that car designing has become a "cross-border" work covering the automotive, artificial intelligence and electronics sectors. And SAIC has set up research facilities globally to meet customized and changing demands.

In September, more than 10,000 SAIC electric cars were shipped from Shanghai to the European market.

"The impressions about China-designed electric cars, with unique Chinese characters, will become more and more clear in the world," said Shao.

Tao Guidong, an engineer with Chinese rolling-stock maker CRRC Corp, introduced the latest design innovations of China's high-speed railway, whose products are exported globally.

The high-speed railway innovations include the CR450 project, which aims to improve the regular train speed to about 400 kilometers per hour. This can shorten the trip between Shanghai and Beijing to about three hours, he suggested.

The specific logistics of the high-speed railway lies in research, which will meet surging demand of the e-commerce market in China. Other designs include those for environment improvement to reduce noise, offer more comfortable seats and protect passengers' privacy, Tao added.

American Marshall Strabala, chief architect of Shanghai Tower, China's tallest skyscraper; and other highrises worldwide, also attended the WDCC's opening ceremony.

He talked about how to make super-tall skyscrapers (400 meters or taller) fit into a city's skyline. He also emphasized designs for building durability and low carbon.

City Mayor Gong Zheng was present at the opening ceremony.

The first WDCC, hosted by the Shanghai government, will run through Sunday and is being held in Huangpu District. It includes conferences, shows, product releases and an exhibition.

More than 50 forums and activities will be held during the WDCC, covering varied topics as well as innovations in industrial, architecture, fashion, digital and service design.

Shanghai joined the United Nations "Creative Cities Network" in 2010, and plans to transform itself into a "City of Design," with a rapidly growing design industry.

In 2021, Shanghai's creative and design industry output reached 1.6 trillion yuan (US$232 billion), a figure that is expected to hit more than 2.0 trillion yuan by 2025, city officials said.

The average annual gross domestic product growth of Shanghai's design industry has been more than 10 percent in the recent decade since 2012, higher than the city's total GDP growth, according to Wu Jincheng, director of the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatization.

The WDCC exhibition is spread over 20,000 square meters with 110 brand exhibitors and more than 300 product lines, 20 percent of them overseas brands. There are special French and Italian pavilions at the exhibition, which was closed on Thursday due to Typhoon Muifa. It will reopen on Friday.