Qingdao boasts a vibrant economy. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

CCID Consulting, a market research firm, recently released the 2022 China Digital Economy Development Research Report and the list of China's top 100 cities in terms of the development of their digital economies.

The eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province ranked 13th on the list, up four places from the previous year.

Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Guangzhou are the top five cities on the list.

The digital economy is an important driving force for industrial transformation and upgrading. Data shows that the scale of China's digital economy soared from 11 trillion yuan ($1.6 trillion) in 2012 to 45.5 trillion yuan in 2021, accounting for 39.8 percent of the country's GDP in 2021.

Qingdao has launched a slew of measures to promote the development of the digital economy. Efforts have been made to accelerate the digital transformation of its traditional industries, and advance innovation in multiple application scenarios such as social governance, public services, production and livelihoods.

The city is also working to promote the in-depth integration of digital technologies and the real economy to fuel high-quality regional development.