CCID Consulting, a firm affiliated with a think tank under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, recently released a research report on the top 100 cities in comprehensive competitiveness in 2021, evaluating 293 Chinese cities.

Qingdao boasts a vibrant economy and picturesque landscapes. [Photo/VCG]

The eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province ranked eighth in the research report. It is the only northern city to make the top 10.

Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Suzhou took the top three places.

The ranking was based on economic scale, development quality and efficiency, comprehensive vitality, innovation potential, and wealth sharing. GDP, general public budget revenue, tax revenue, number of patents granted, per capita disposable income, talents attractiveness and other indicators were also included.

In recent years, Qingdao has strengthened efforts to become a livable international city and promote regional high-quality development. It has launched a slew of measures and policies to attract global investment and high-caliber talent.

In the first three quarters of 2021, the city's GDP exceeded 1 trillion yuan ($160 billion), a year-on-year increase of 10.7 percent. From January to October 2021, the city's foreign trade increased by 36.7 percent, and its actual utilization of foreign capital reached $5.38 billion, up 18.7 percent. There were 273,000 new market entities in the city.