Nansha district in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, is expected to be developed into a major strategic hub based in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, collaborating with Hong Kong and Macao and serving as a gateway to the world, a senior city official said on Tuesday.

To this end, Nansha will further strengthen its hub functions while making great efforts in building Nansha Port into an international trunk port for container shipping and the largest container hub port for domestic trade, said Sun Zhiyang, mayor of Guangzhou.

Sun made the remarks at a news conference on Nansha's development in the provincial capital on Tuesday.

Nansha Port has opened international sea routes to countries and regions around the world, facilitating efficient trade flows, enhancing international and regional connectivity, and bolstering Guangzhou's strategic position as a key logistics hub. It hit a container throughput of more than 20 million TEUs last year, promoting the province's economic construction.

Meanwhile, an international maritime service cluster area has been established in Nansha, with an annual average of more than 200 ship transactions valued at more than 3 billion yuan ($419.58 million), according to Sun.

Moreover, Nansha is being constructed into a new scientific and technology hub and cooperation platform for Sino-foreign youth entrepreneurship and employment, he said.

Nansha is creating a highland for connecting rules and mechanisms with neighboring Hong Kong and Macao, playing a role in Guangzhou's high-level opening-up and high-quality urban development, he added.