(Source |China Daily)
It also takes leading positions in other criteria such as resilience, transportation and urban planning, sustainable development, culture and quality of life, and ease of doing business, according to the Chinese Cities of Opportunity 2021 report.
The report, which has been issued annually since 2014, aims to monitor opportunities arising from China’s urban development and track the progress of its urbanization from different angles and perspectives.
This year’s report has increased the scope of selected cities to 47 from 42 in 2020. The overall observation area covers most central and node cities of major city clusters.
It adopts PwC’s city assessment tools, which apply 10 dimensions covering economic growth, society and people’s well-being, urban infrastructure, natural environment, population, city governance and influence.
Overall, in the report, the top four cities remain to be Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The next top 10 cities are Hangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Suzhou, Hong Kong, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Xiamen and Xi’an.
The headquarters building of BYD in Pingshan District. File photo
According to the report, China’s urbanization process is about to enter a new phase of high-quality development. City clusters will be the main model of urbanization in the future. This will pose new challenges for large cities, as they seek to develop incrementally and sustainably.
However, the rise of city clusters will accelerate the pace of regional integration, bringing new opportunities for China’s economy, the report said.
It is also found that the leading role of central cities is self-evident as China enters a stage of city cluster high-quality development. The top-ranked cities are mostly central to major city clusters and are expanding.
“The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has obvious advantages in technology, transportation, business environment and sustainable development. With the promotion of the national strategy, cities in the area will share resource advantages and development vitality,” said Joanne Wang, PwC China’s market leader in Guangdong Province.