Huzhou in East China's Zhejiang province was ranked 45th on the list of top 100 Chinese cities in terms of innovation strength in 2022, according to a report recently released by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China.

Beijing topped the list, followed by Shanghai, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Xi'an, Suzhou and Changsha.

Ten Zhejiang cities made the list, with Hangzhou being the highest ranked city from the province. It was followed by Ningbo (20th), Jiaxing (26th), Wenzhou (41st), Shaoxing (43rd), Huzhou (45th), Taizhou (59th), Quzhou (61st), Jinhua (66th) and Zhoushan (81st).

Huzhou was ranked 40th in the rankings of the 103 cities that were included in the innovation-driven city program launched by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

In 2022, the 103 national innovation-driven cities, which make up 51 percent of China's total population, generated 67 percent of the nation's GDP. These cities are home to 85 percent of high-tech companies in China, with their combined R&D spending accounting for 85 percent of the country's total.