Chongchuan district in Nantong has been committed to developing its economy and improving its living environment in recent years. [Photo/WeChat account: chongchuanonline]

The urban economic research center of CCID Consulting – a firm affiliated with a think tank under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology – announced its 2021 white paper on the high-quality development of China's urban areas on Aug 17.

Eight districts from South China's Guangdong province, one from East China's Shandong province, and one from East China's Jiangsu province made the list's top 10.

Nantong, a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu, had all of its three districts included on the list. Chongchuan district, the main urban area of the city, ranked 38th, higher than any other district in the city.

The assessment system consisted of 23 detailed indicators, such as economic strength, growth drivers, and regional influence.

Last year, Chongchuan district had a regional GDP of 148.26 billion yuan ($22.81 billion), 1.6 times its 2015 GDP. The revenue in its general public budget was 12.05 billion yuan.

In addition, some other important indicators such as per capita disposable income of rural residents, total retail sales of consumer goods and foreign trade imports and exports all ranked first in Nantong.