- \n
- Lanzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu round out top 3 larger cities; Heyuan tops
\nlist of smaller cities<\/i><\/li>\n- Milken Institute analysis shows that China’s regional development has
\nelevated to a new level, with Western and North-Western region cities
\ndominating top rankings<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
HONG
\nKONG SAR\u00a0–\u00a0Media OutReach<\/a>\u00a0– 17 December 2020 –\u00a0Lanzhou, the capital of China’s Gansu Province and a crucial link in
\nChina’s One Belt, One Road initiative, is China’s best-performing city in 2020,
\naccording to the Milken Institute<\/a>. <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/release.media-outreach.com\/release.php\/Images\/Thumb\/500x0\/112616\/Virtual-PC-photo.jpeg#image-112616\")
<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
The city of Lanzhou is
\na shining example of the green development strategy that China embarked upon as
\npart of its 13th<\/sup> Five-Year Plan, which focused on the elevating the
\nnation’s growth through technological innovation and renewing efforts to
\ncoordinate regional development. Having balanced urban infrastructure modernisation with improving
\necological sustainability[1]<\/sup>, Lanzhou
\nsecures the first place, up from fourth position in 2019, in the Milken
\nInstitute’s sixth edition of its annual Best-Performing Cities China report,
\nwhich was released today. Shenzhen and Chengdu follow in second and third
\nplace, respectively. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The Best Performing
\nCities China index for 2020 highlights how China is leveraging the economic
\npower of the nation’s three superclusters, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Greater Bay
\nArea, and the Yangtze River Delta, as the architecture to connect and transmit
\nindustrial production and commercial activities to smaller cities and counties,”
\nsaid Perry Wong, managing director of research at the Milken Institute and
\nco-author of the report<\/b>. “The rapid elevation in the growth of the less
\ndeveloped regional economies reflects China’s commitment to infrastructure
\nbuilding to reduce development disparities among regions and cities, as well as
\nalleviating environmental burdens — such as congestion and pollution — on
\nmegacities.”<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
2020 also marks the first
\ntime that cities from the Western region took three of the top five spots in
\nthe Milken Institute’s rankings. This highlights the success of the central
\ngovernment and policymakers’ focus on leveraging the comparative advantage of
\nregional development in the domestic market to spur growth among less developed
\nbut lower-cost regions. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shenzhen in Guangdong
\nprovince retains its second-place position from last year. As one of the
\ngreatest success stories of China’s innovation economy development, Shenzhen is
\ntoday a global innovation powerhouse, after having successfully reinvented
\nitself from being a low-cost gadget manufacturing center. Today, the city is
\nChina’s main hub for telecom product advancements and tech entrepreneurship.
\nShenzhen — as one of China’s growth leaders — will be continued to be fortified
\nby the Chinese government to realize its mission to become a global city.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rounding up the top
\nthree spots is Chengdu, dropping two positions from first place in 2019 after
\nholding the spot for the previous three years. It is also the sixth time the
\ncity has been ranked in the top 10 large cities group. Chengdu continues to be
\none of western China’s most crucial economic, cultural, transportation and
\ncommunication hubs. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Xi’an in Shanxi
\nprovince takes the fourth spot, up from sixth last year. The city is in the
\nWestern part of China and is experiencing a boost in transportation infrastructure
\ndevelopment. Following Xi’an in fifth place is Fuzhou in the southeastern
\nprovince of Fujian.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Taking sixth place is
\nthe Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province which is also one of China’s
\noldest and biggest trading and transport hubs. Coming in seventh place is
\nBeijing, the nation’s capital. Xiamen in Fujian province, Nanjing in Jiangsu
\nprovince, and Hefei in Anhui province round up the top 10 first- and
\nsecond-tier cities list. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is the first time
\nthat Guangzhou, Nanjing, and Hefei entered the list of first- and second-tier
\ncities. It also the first time that Fuzhou is part of the list’s top 10 cities.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Heyuan in Guangdong
\nprovince takes this year’s number one spot in the small cities list. As part of
\nthe Greater Bay Area and a regional logistic point, Heyuan has recently
\nreceived many domestic and foreign investments that drive its economic growth
\nand is a testament to China’s Western regional development that has helped
\nelevate economic activities with sustaining momentum. Coming in second place is
\nBaoji in Shanxi province, followed by Xinxiang in Henan province in third and
\nChuzhou in Anhui province in fourth. Most of these cities have benefited from
\nthe expansion of their neighboring major cities.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sixth and seven
\nplaced cities are Xuancheng in Anhui province and Shangluo in Shanxi province
\nrespectively, followed by ninth-placed Zhangzhou in Fujian province and
\neighth-placed Dazhou in Sichuan province. Xinxiang and Dazhou are close to
\nZhengzhou and Chongqing, the key commercial and production centers in their
\nrespective provinces.\u00a0 Zhangzhou, a city
\nnext to Xiamen, has had a noticeable GDP growth in recent years.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
The last city on the
\ntop 10 small cities list is Dongguan in Guangdong province, which topped the
\nsmall cities list in 2019. <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0“The Chinese government’s focus on investing
\nhugely in domestic infrastructure, attracting foreign investment and leveraging
\nlow-cost production factors has affected the growth status of several
\nthird-tier cities, in addition to helping improve urban infrastructure and
\nenvironmental stability in first- and second-tier cities,” added Mr. Wong.
\n“Despite the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and
\nthe continuation of global trade wars, China’s drive for economic innovation
\nacross its priority growth cities remains largely unperturbed.”<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Methodology<\/b><\/p>\n
The 2020 Milken
\nInstitute Best-Performing Cities China Index divides 264 Chinese cities into
\ntwo groups, one for large cities and one for small and medium-sized cities. The
\nlarge cities group comprises 34 first- and second-tier cities, while the latter
\nis made up of 230 third-tier cities. The two groups are ranked separately based
\non economic performance, with an emphasis on growth measurements. Its ranking
\nindex for this 2020 version comprises nine indicators–one-year (2017-2018) and
\nfive-year (2013-2018) growth for jobs, wages, and gross regional product (GRP)
\nper capita; three-year (2015-2018) foreign direct investment (FDI) growth;
\nFDI\/GRP ratio (2018); and the location quotient (LQ) for high value-added
\nindustry employment (2018). This index categorizes Chinese cities into large
\nand small groups to yield more meaningful comparisons and insights.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
About the Best
\nPerforming Cities China Index<\/b><\/p>\nThe Milken Institute’s
\nBest-Performing Cities (BPC) China Index analyzes the latest and most
\ncomprehensive official data, found in the China City Statistical Yearbook to
\ntrack the recent economic performance of Chinese cities. The primary purpose of
\nthis series is to offer a tool to policymakers to monitor and evaluate the
\neconomic dynamics of cities in China and improve their performance. In
\naddition, this work provides businesses with insight into economic trends to
\nexplore potential investment opportunities in China.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Milken Institute’s Best-Performing
\nCities China Ranking<\/b><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\n
\n \n Rank<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n First- and second-tier cities<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Rank<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Third-tier cities<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n 1<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Lanzhou, Gansu (\u7518\u8083\u7701, \u5170\u5dde\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n 1<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Heyuan, Guangdong (\u5e7f\u4e1c\u7701, \u6cb3\u6e90\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n 2<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Shenzhen, Guangdong
\n (\u5e7f\u4e1c\u7701, \u6df1\u5733\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n 2<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Baoji, Shaanxi (\u9655\u897f\u7701, \u5b9d\u9e21\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n 3<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Chengdu, Sichuan (\u56db\u5ddd\u7701, \u6210\u90fd\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n 3<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Xinxiang, Henan (\u6cb3\u5357\u7701, \u65b0\u4e61\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n 4<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Xi’an, Shaanxi (\u9655\u897f\u7701, \u897f\u5b89\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n 4<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Chuzhou, Anhui (\u5b89\u5fbd\u7701, \u6ec1\u5dde\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n 5<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Fuzhou, Fujian (\u798f\u5efa\u7701, \u798f\u5dde\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n 5<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Wuhu, Anhui (\u5b89\u5fbd\u7701, \u829c\u6e56\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n 6<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Guangdong, Guangzhou
\n (\u5e7f\u4e1c\u7701, \u5e7f\u5dde\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n 6<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Xuancheng, Anhui (\u5b89\u5fbd\u7701, \u5ba3\u57ce\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n 7<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Beijing (\u5317\u4eac\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n 7<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Shangluo, Shaanxi (\u9655\u897f\u7701, \u5546\u6d1b\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n 8<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Xiamen, Fujian (\u798f\u5efa\u7701, \u53a6\u95e8\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n 8<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Zhangzhou, Fujian (\u798f\u5efa\u7701, \u6f33\u5dde\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n 9<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Nanjing, Jiangsu (\u6c5f\u82cf\u7701, \u5357\u4eac\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n 9<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Dazhou, Sichuan (\u56db\u5ddd\u7701, \u8fbe\u5dde\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \n 10<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Hefei, Anhui (\u5b89\u5fbd\u7701, \u5408\u80a5\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n 10<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
\n Dongguan, Guangdong
\n (\u5e7f\u4e1c\u7701, \u4e1c\u839e\u5e02)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Find out the
\nInteractive Map: www.best-cities-china.org<\/a> <\/p>\n - Milken Institute analysis shows that China’s regional development has