The city's efforts in ecological protection, improving people's livelihood, and upgrading its innovation capacity were recognized in the 2021 examination report on Zhuhai's urban construction and management despite occurring problems, officials announced during a Feb 22 executive meeting of the Municipal People's Government.

The report put forward three major problems, namely the lack of public parking spaces, arising waterlogging risks, and an imperfect municipal pipe network. Only eight out of 59 planned independent public parking lots completed construction in east Zhuhai, 72 identified waterlogging sites citywide demand renovation, and newly-built or renovated municipal pipes are not updated timely into the existing pipe network. 

Meanwhile, alarms were also made for four pressing issues. The city's transport operation efficiency is relatively low during rush hours. The average speed of motorists in downtown Zhuhai during peak hours is lower than that of the national average, especially when compared to Shenzhen. Single commuting time for Zhuhai residents is higher than the average level of domestic cities of similar urban scale. 

Xiangshan Cloud Walkway encircling Xiangshan Lake Park [Photo by Ye Qiuming / Zhuhai Media Group]

The partake rate of community medical services has been decreasing in recent years, as their imbalanced capacities make it harder to gain residents' trust. Coverage of public and affordable private kindergartens is still relatively low, while old residential communities demand better supporting facilities. Sources of government-supported apartments available for rent are also inadequate.

To address the problems and improve the overall quality of Zhuhai's urban construction, the city will carry out relative research and implement effective countermeasures and rectification measures.

On the contrary, 16 out of the total 76 main indexes being evaluated got a "good" rate and 24 were rated "fairly-good." For example, Zhuhai achieved remarkable results in protecting its ecological environment. The ratio of days with fairly good to good air quality was around 90 percent. Radius service coverage of parks citywide exceeded the standards for National Garden City, providing an upgraded urban environment and better living quality for local residents. 

The urban subsistence allowances for residents are gradually increasing. The median age of people living in Zhuhai stands at 35, bringing a further population dividend to the city. Basic infrastructure in the city is also constantly improving. More household solid wastes, for example, have been transformed into reusable resources and the number of urban fire stations is increasing. 

Zhuhai boasts more confidence in its high-quality development with increasing innovation capacity. The ratio of local R&D expenditure in Zhuhai's GDP is ever increasing over the years. The number of high-tech and listed companies with over 10,000 employees both rank second in Guangdong Province.