As Brazil's economy grows in strength and power, the city of Rio de Janeiro is beginning to show its importance and is about to build on its newfound global business prowess.

The four major sectors of the country's economy already consider the city of Rio their strategic base and future partner - sectors that are projected to represent almost 85 percent of the future investment in the entire national economy.

The city is also enjoying strong economic indicators such as generating 50 percent of the state's GDP and a quarter of the entire foreign direct investment in the country.

Rio is one of the few cities in the world that not only responded well to the global financial crisis, but has also shrugged it off as it continues to grow in importance.

Local politicians and business owners are probably right to claim that the city is undergoing something of a rebirth.

Looking at the figures of Brazilians flocking back to the city while crisis-hit North Americans and Europeans arrive in droves, it looks like the claim rings true.

An estimated quarter million Rio professionals abandoned their city of birth between 1980 and 2000 due to the lack of opportunities, but since 2009 almost 70 percent have returned.

One of the returnees is Marcelo Haddad, the CEO of Rio Negcios who said that "since I have come back I have seen so much energy and so much motivation to make things happen and I think that in the future Rio will be even more attractive than it already is."

Rio is also beginning to be recognized as a center of opinion and leadership.

In June 2012 it will host the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio +20.

Twenty years after the original 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, the UN is once again looking to Rio to stage this historic event which will bring together governments, international institutions and major groups to discuss ways of using smart measures to ensure a better form of development for the world, including poverty reduction and the sustainable use of resources.

Such achievements explain why Rio de Janeiro is growing in power and the center of media and broadcasting for both the World Cup and the Olympic Games.

Rio is now firmly on the map.

(China Daily 04/30/2012 page13)