CCID Consulting published the 2020 Research Report on China's Top 100 County Economies online yesterday. Among the top 100 were 18 counties or county-level cities in Zhejiang province.

CCID Consulting has been conducting annual studies on China's most prosperous counties and county-level cities since 2016. The threshold for a county or county-level city to qualify for the list is an annual GDP of at least 40 billion yuan ($5.7 billion) and public budget revenue of at least 2 billion yuan. Candidates then go through a comprehensive evaluation of their economic development before being ranked in the top 100.

Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong provinces, all located in East China, had the largest number of prosperous counties among all Chinese provinces, with 25, 18, and 15 spots on the top 100 list, respectively.

The 18 counties and county-level cities from Zhejiang include Cixi city (8th), Yiwu city (9th), Yuyao city (16th), Zhuji city (18th), Haining city (19th), Yueqing city (21st), Wenling city (25th), Ruian city (27th), Tongxiang city (29th), Pinghu city (49th), Changxing county (53rd), Jiashan county (57th), Ninghai county (60th), Dongyang city (64th), Yuhuan city (70th), Linghai city (83rd), Yongkang city (85th), and Cangnan county (86th).

A total of 33 counties and county-level cities on the list have a GDP of over 100 billion yuan, according to Ma Cheng'en, director of the county economy research center at CCID Consulting.

The top 100 counties and county-level cities, which represent less than 2 percent of Chinese territory and 7 percent of the Chinese population, contribute one tenth of national GDP. Their residents account for only 11 percent of the total population of all Chinese counties and county-level cities but roughly one fourth of the aggregate GDP of all Chinese counties and county-level cities.

Studies show that the GDP per capita among the top 100 counties and county-level cities stood at 110,900 yuan, above the threshold that the World Bank defines as a high-income economy.

Some Russians shop for balloons at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu, Zhejiang province. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]