As Guangzhou and Foshan see greater interconnectivity, the two cities are pacing up defining themselves with a more distinctive role. This month, Guangdong Department of Natural Resources has highlighted in the "Guidelines for the Coordination of Territorial and Spatial Planning of the Guangdong Metropolitan Area" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guidelines") - all regions of Foshan will be included as part of the Guangzhou Metropolitan Area, with Guangzhou central area as the core and Foshan central area the sub-core.

　　The Guidelines point out, Foshan is set to fully integrate into multiple sectors of Guangzhou - transportation, industry and public services and so on.

　　Guangzhou Metropolitan Area will include 13 and 6-way external high-speed railways that departed from Guangzhou or Foshan, as well as 18 metro lines connecting the two cities. Efforts will be intensified to level up the leverage of metropolitan (city)-level centers such as Foshan New City, and play up the roles of major strategic innovation platforms in Foshan, like Foshan Financial High-tech Zone and Sanlongwan Science and Technology City.