There were 52 county-level cities in China with a gross domestic product of more than 100 billion yuan ($14.52 billion) in 2022.

The cities are located in 12 provinces. Jiangsu province was home to the highest number, with 21 county-level cities having a GDP of over 100 billion yuan, accounting for 40 percent of the total.

Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, ranked 20th in the ranking with a GDP of 147.93 billion yuan.

Rugao saw improvement in its economic development over the past year.

The city ranked 19th in the country's top 100 counties and cities in terms of comprehensive strength in 2022, four places higher than the previous year.

In addition, the city set its development goals for 2023.

Its GDP and general public budget revenue are expected to grow by about 6 percent and 9 percent in 2023. Its R&D investment is expected to account for 2.65 percent of its GDP.

Retail sales of consumer goods are expected to increase by more than 6 percent, while investment in fixed assets should increase by 6 percent.

The taxable sales and added value of above-designated-size industrial enterprises are both expected to increase by 10 percent, while the output value of industrial strategic emerging industries is expected to account for more than 44.5 percent of total industrial output value.

An aerial view of Rugao in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account: qdrmt0513]