A photo taken on Aug 26, 2018, shows an aerial view of Langshan Mountain in Nantong. The city was honored as the “National Forest City” by the country’s forestry authority on the same day. [Photo/IC]

Nantong, a coastal city in East China’s Jiangsu province, topped a list of 26 cities measuring their green development, which was released in Shanghai on Jan 8.

The report named “High-quality Development Index in Yangtze River Delta,” evaluated 26 cities in the region based on the country’s five development ideas of innovation, coordination, green development, opening-up, and sharing. 

Nantong ranked eighth in the general index and took first place in the green development ranking.

China’s 13th Five Year Plan (2016-20) has listed "green development," or environmentally friendly growth, as a key path for economic progress, placing priority on strengthening environmental protection inspection and enforcement.