The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) has published a blue book on urban competitiveness which lists Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai as the three most competitive cities in China, Sina.com reports.

CASS held a news conference on April 26 for the blue book on the theme of "Competitiveness -- Cities Advance with the Country." They discussed the competitiveness of major Chinese cities and analyzed their positions within the global city system.

The report released that the top ten competitive cities are Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Kaohsiung, Dalian and Qingdao. Among them, three are from the Pearl River Delta, one is from the Yangtze River Delta, two are from Taiwan, three are from around the Bohai Sea region and one is from northeastern China.

Ni Pengfei, from the Institute of Finance and Trade Economics under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, is the chief researcher of the blue book. He pointed out that the structure of former city competitiveness has been slightly changing with the nation's economic restructuring and the worldwide economic crisis.

The competitiveness of southern coastal cites is declining while that of the northern ones is increasing. The advantage of the southeastern parts of China is slightly decreasing, which narrows the gap between cities all around the country, according to the report.

The 2010 annual report on China's urban competitiveness is the eighth of its kind released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences after a comprehensive survey on almost a hundred Chinese cities.

(CRIENGLISH.com April 27, 2010)