Cities of the future will be 'the innovators'

Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Nanjing are the leading cities in China in terms of opportunities, and they lead others in technology, innovation and sustainable development, a new report from global consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers said on Wednesday.

Other cities on the list include Wuhan, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an and Tianjin, said the report jointly prepared by PWC China and the China Development Research Foundation. It examined the overall development of 20 Chinese cities (excluding Beijing and Shanghai) on the basis of 10 indicators to explore the directions they are heading in, the opportunities they have, as well as the steps taken to safeguard sustainable development in the new economic climate.

"Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Nanjing are truly cities of opportunity in China," said David Wu, leader of the PWC China Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs team. "They are filled with opportunities and have laid a solid foundation in innovation, technology and sustainable development to achieve long-term growth in the 'new normal' economy."

The report also found that China faces challenges in fostering balanced and coordinated development across regions. Cities in the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta generally ranked higher than cities in the northeastern and western interior provinces.

It also said that cities like Urumqi and Lanzhou enjoy great development potential as strategically important cities in implementing the "One Belt, One Road" initiative. However, the study ranks Nanning as the Chinese city with the closest cultural and economic ties with ASEAN nations.

"The implementation of strategies like 'Going West', 'Revitalizing Northeast China' and 'One Belt, One Road' shows the government's determination to create development opportunities for cities in these regions," said Wu.

The report, however, said most of the Chinese cities were finding it tough to strike a balance between economic development and costs. For instance, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are high-cost cities, while Nanjing is a good reference point for low costs.

The 20 cities that form part of the report include: Tianjin, Shenyang, Dalian, Changchun, Harbin, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanning, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi'an, Lanzhou and Urumqi.

The 10 indicators are intellectual capital and innovation, important cities, technology readiness, healthcare, safety and public security, traffic and city planning, sustainable development and the environment, culture and local lifestyle, economic influence, ease of doing business and cost.