The top five Chinese cities expected to drive regional development across 10 criteria

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Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing, and Hangzhou have been highlighted for their ease of doing business.

Urbanisation in China is entering a new stage of development. In years to come, China's urban development will be the development of metropolitan areas and urban clusters led by central ‘hub’ cities. These will promote coordinated regional development and boost green development.

This was the key finding in a report titled Chinese Cities of Opportunity 2022 jointly released by the China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) and PwC China (PwC). 

This edition of the report, which has been published since 2014, analysed 47 selected cities, which included the central and node cities of the major urban clusters in China. These are:

• the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei city cluster;
• the Yangtze River Delta city cluster;
• the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area;
• the Chengdu-Chongqing city cluster;
• the Yangtze River Midstream city cluster;
• the Central Plain city cluster; and
• the Guanzhong Plain city cluster.

The "9+2" cities of the Greater Bay Area are all fully covered.

According to the study results, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen (pictured above), and Guangzhou remain in the top four spots for 2022. The cities ranking fifth to 14^th are Hangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Ningbo, Suzhou, Wuhan, Hong Kong, Chongqing, Changsha and Zhengzhou. Ningbo has leapt into the top ten for the first time.

These regional central hub cities have developed in different ways. There are multiple centres in the Yangtze River Delta city cluster and the Greater Bay Area, as many of the cities in these areas are similar in terms of population size and development. By contrast, provincial capitals have a strong spillover effect on other cities in the same region. Some have adopted targeted policies to bring back or attract talent from other cities within and outside of their region.

Fang Jin, Secretary General of the CDRF, noted, "With greater urbanisation, a number of world-class cities have emerged in China. Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai are already global cities, while Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Chengdu are gaining more influence globally. These megacities are major contributors to economic growth and key hubs for opening-up and innovation."

The report applies 10 criteria, including economic growth, society and people’s livelihoods, urban infrastructure, the natural environment, population, city governance and influence. Different from previous years, this year's report improved the observation method and measurement system, and focused on urban innovation and sustainable development. 

On the methodology, Yu Jiantuo, Deputy Secretary General of the CDRF, explained, "This year’s report has improved the indicator system, fully integrated the five new development concepts, and considered the safety and development of the city as a whole. It also shows that the ability of sustainable development is also the source of urban competitiveness, and urban development should pay more attention to soft power and resilience."

The top five cities for each of the 10 criteria in the report are listed below:

• Intellectual capital and innovation – Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Shanghai, Nanjing
• Technological maturity – Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou
• Major regional cities – Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Beijing, Shenzhen and Chengdu (tied for 5^th place)
• Resilience – Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen
• Transportation and urban planning – Nanjing and Xiamen (tied for 1st place), Suzhou, Chengdu, Ningbo
• Sustainable development – Ningbo, Dongguan, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Suzhou
• Culture and quality of life – Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou
• Economic clout – Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou
• Cost – Huhhot, Tangshan, Baoding, Taiyuan, Shijiazhuang
• Ease of doing business – Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing, Hangzhou

On the findings, Jin Jun, PwC Strategy& China Partner, noted: "During the 14^th Five-Year Plan period, central cities will play a leading role in driving the development of metropolitan areas and city clusters. A new mechanism for coordinated regional development is to exploit the comparative advantages of different regions and foster new drivers of high-quality development."

Thomas Leung, Managing Partner - Markets, PwC China added: "In the future, we will pay more attention to the construction of modern metropolitan areas and urban agglomerations, driven by central hub cities. These expanding regional hubs are set to be a key driver of development in the coming years."

All images / Shutterstock