Shanghai is not only leading in the education stakes (see right), it's also apparently the most competitive city in China, having pushed regional rival Hong Kong aside, according to the China Institute of City Competitiveness (CICC).
This is a surprise. Hong Kong is one of the easiest places to do business in Asia, but in terms of competitiveness, Shanghai has topped China for the first time in the ranking of cities by their comprehensive competitiveness, according to the CICC report.
Hong Kong was first for the first 11 consecutive years of the prize, but now the southern largely autonomous territory has been surpassed by Shanghai largely because of Shanghai’s faster economic and fiscal growth.
Shanghai also has stronger competitive advantages in technology, culture and education.
The main reason for this is the establishment of Shanghai's FTZ (free trade zone), which has just opened. This would seem to suggest that perhaps the report is a tad premature, but Gui Qiangfang, president of the institute, cited the FTZ as a "powerful driver to enhance the city's competitiveness".
"Considering Hong Kong's limited potential for further economic growth, more cities in the Chinese mainland will exceed Hong Kong in this list in the future," Mr Gui told the People's Daily. Hong Kong's potential for long-term economic growth is limited by its location and size, so other progressive Chinese cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing are all in a position to overtake Hong Kong in the future, said Mr Gui.
The rankings are based on economic stability, social stability, and environmental and cultural conditions. Shanghai topped the list this year with a score of 16,163.08, followed by Hong Kong with a score of 16,099.80. Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou took the next few spots on the list.
Hong Kong’s strength in some areas is difficult for mainland cities to beat, especially in areas like systems and human resources, where Hong Kong has accumulated its advantages over a long period, particularly in the financial sector.
As the Asia-Pacific region's international financial, trade, shipping, tourism and information centre, Hong Kong was rated as the city with the highest level in quality and security of urban assets, the People's Daily reported.
