According to relevant data, before China joined the WTO, there were few regional headquarters of multinational corporations in Beijing and Shanghai, and Beijing had a slight advantage. After Shanghai successfully hosted the 200 1 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and won the right to host the 20 10 World Expo, multinational companies began to pay full attention to their global economic status. Therefore, the follow-up development of Beijing and Shanghai has changed: in 2003, the number of regional headquarters of multinational corporations in Shanghai exceeded that in Beijing. In that year, the relevant figure in Beijing was 24 and that in Shanghai was 41; The following year, the former approached 30 and the latter exceeded 86;
In 2005, according to the statistics of Shanghai Foreign Economic Relations and Trade Commission, by the end of June, there were 104 regional headquarters of multinational corporations recognized by Shanghai Municipal Government, including 33 "Fortune 500".