Shanghai (Photo/Pudong Times)

Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Nanjing have taken the top spots as China’s most innovative cities according to a report recently released by the Consulting Center of Beijing Liven Innovation and Technology as well as local government departments responsible for science and technology.

The report constructed an evaluation system including four dimensions: innovation conditions, innovation investment, innovation campaigns and innovation influence. It is based on the European innovation scoreboard that provides a comparative analysis of innovation performance in European countries and regional neighbors, as well as Chinese reports including the national innovation index report issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The list of China’s top 20 most innovative cities, including Tianjin, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Xi’an, Chengdu and Chongqing, is based on these metrics.

The report provides a concrete analysis on the leading position in innovation of Beijing and Shanghai, the country’s science and technology innovation centers.

The general innovation index of Beijing is 82.2 percent, ranking first in innovation influence and innovation investment, and second in innovation conditions and innovation campaigns. With a general innovation index of 73.36 percent, Shanghai ranked second in terms of innovation influence, third in terms of innovation campaign as well as innovation investment.

The report indicated that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area enjoys distinct advantages. With a general innovation index of 80.41, Shenzhen ranked first in innovation investment and innovation campaign, and third in innovation influence.

The report also found that a pattern of urban innovation has gradually taken shape, showing a high degree of consistency to China’s city clusters along the Bohai Sea Rim and in the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta and the Chengdu-Chongqing region.