Zhuhai stands 39th among 1,006 global cities in economic vibrancy, moving up from 173rd in the annual ranking, according to the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (2020-21), which was released Dec 8.

In addition to economic vibrancy, Zhuhai is 97th in the soft business environment category, which values opening up. Meanwhile, the city moved up 75 places to 170th over the past five years in terms of comprehensive economic competitiveness and has a leading growth rate in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. 

Zhuhai Fisher Maiden Statue in Xianglu Bay and Lingjiaozui Curve of Central Lovers Avenue in Jida [Photo by Wu Changfu / Guanhai App]

In China, only Shenzhen, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai surpass Zhuhai in terms of economic vibrancy. Next are Hong Kong, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Xiamen, Changsha, Wuhan, Ningbo, Chengdu, and Hefei on the Top 100 list.

Zhuhai's appeal makes it a major destination for innovation and entrepreneurship. The city attracted 42,000 talents in 2019, ranking 1st in Guangdong Province. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Zhuhai brought in more than 50,000 talents from January to October, a year-on-year increase of more than 15 percent.

As for economic competitiveness, on the other hand, the Greater Bay Area leads the country as the major driving forces of Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Guangdong rank 9th, 11th, and 42nd in the world, according to the report.

Economic vibrancy, says the National Academy of Economic Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and UN Habitat, is key to the economic development and potential of cities and essential to urban sustainable competitiveness. The aspect is assessed across indexes of business convenience, intellectual property protection, ratio of youth talents, economic growth rate, and labor productivity.