Shanghai tops Yangtze River Economic Belt, survey shows
Construction of the Hexin Railway is in full swing, with the high-speed rail starting from Hefei in Anhui Province and ending in Xinyi, Jiangsu Province.
Shanghai has again been named the top-ranked city in the Yangtze River Economic Belt for the ninth consecutive year, according to a survey released in Putuo District at the weekend.
Shanghai scored 64.99 out of 100 points among the 110 cities in the area, followed by Hangzhou in neighboring Zhejiang Province, Nanjing in neighboring Jiangsu Province, Chengdu in southwest Sichuan Province and Wuhan in central Hubei Province.
The survey was the ninth of its kind conducted by the Institute of Urban Development at East China Normal University, a key research institute listed by the Ministry of Education since 2015.
This year's conclusion was made based on research of 18 indicators in the category of economic development, scientific innovation, exchange service, comprehensive gross domestic product and ecological support.
Shanghai has reached the standard for the world's top metropolises in scientific innovation, exchange services and economic development, said Zeng Gang, director of the institute and chief expert of the survey.
"The Yangtze River Economic Belt exhibits a six-tier olive-shaped structure," Zeng said.
The scores of Yangtze River Economic Belt cities. The deeper the color, the higher the score.
Shanghai tops the structure, comprising 10 advanced regional centers, 36 specialized regional cities, 36 key regional cities with strategic advantages, 15 developing local cities and 12 local cities with certain limitations, he added.
However, the belt faces two major challenges: weak ecological collaboration and uneven development among cities, he noted.
Shanghai excels in economy and innovation but lags in ecology. Downstream areas outperform upstream ones, according to the survey.
Zeng suggested five solutions, which are enhancing ecological cooperation, promoting a green economy, encouraging innovation, increasing openness and improving regional governance.
The economic belt, covering 11 provinces and cities along the river, accounts for half of the population and economic activity in China. The central government has listed the belt as a key area for ecological protection and quality economic development.
The Three Gorges Zigui tourist transfer center is about to be put into operation.
