China represents for Boeing a valued customer, a key collaborator and a formidable competitor.

How to maintain the same quality between a handcrafted cup of coffee brewed at stores and one delivered to customers sitting in an office or at home is the priority for Starbucks and its delivery collaborator ele.

Besides the basic economic complementarities, the report also found China is not only a market, but also a key supplier as well as a collaborator on innovation.

"This has propelled China's market transformation from a major consumer of automobiles to a major collaborator in automotive technology," Zhang said.

He said the company will leverage its expertise as an industry collaborator and trendsetter over the long haul to promote technological advances and cross-border cooperation to contribute to the growth of the Greater Bay Area.

To stand out from the competition, Chen said Metro Plus has strengths from its deeply integrated digital shopping experience, which is powered by technology from collaborator Dmall (Beijing) E-Commerce Co. Its digital transformation extends through in-store shopping, on-mobile-device selection, one-hour delivery within 5 kilometers and its entire operational system and supply chain, he added.

Unlike AlphaGo, an AI machine that defeated human beings in the ancient Chinese game of Go, we believe AI has the potential and capability to be a collaborator with human beings," Li said.

Michael Eagleton, an Australian entrepreneur and maker collaborator who came to Shenzhen in 1997 to explore opportunities in the then burgeoning Chinese market, is one of the four experts.