Rudong county in Nantong ranked highly on the 2021 list of China's top 100 counties in terms of economic development. [Photo/WeChat account: rudongfb]

The urban economic research center of CCID Consulting announced the 2021 list of China's top 100 counties and county-level cities in terms of economic development on Aug 4.

Rudong county in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, ranked 32nd, with the other three county-level cities under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Nantong making the list as well.

CCID Consulting, directly under the China Electronic Information Industry Development Research Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, is the first modern consulting enterprise in the Chinese mainland to be listed on the Hong Kong GEM (growth enterprise market) and to have obtained ISO9001 standard certification.

This year, the list employed a new assessment system that emphasizes high-quality development and is composed of four key dimensions: economic strength, growth potential, affluence, and green development.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), Rudong's GDP increased by 10 billion yuan ($1.54 billion) year-on-year and reached 115.5 billion yuan in 2020. The GDP growth rate of Rudong ranked first for the past two years among Nantong's administrative divisions. The revenue in general public budgets topped 6 billion yuan.

In the past five years, Rudong climbed to the 37th position on the list of China's top 100 counties in terms of basic economic competitiveness. It was also rated a national demonstration area for strong intellectual property development.