As markets in large established cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are maturing, competition is increasing and labour and land costs are rising. China’s many fast growing regional cities offer alternative locations in China for business expansion and development.

Nationwide, there are 274 municipalities with a population in excess of one million. A report commissioned by UK Trade & Investment and carried out by the China-Britain Business Council and the Centre for International Business at Leeds University, identifies 35 of these, that are rated as having the best business prospects for UK companies. The report was launched at the end of September by former Business Secretary of State John Hutton, during his visit to Bejiing to take part in trade talks. Click here ( www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk/ukti/chinacities ) to view the full text at the UK Trade & Investment website.

Many of the cities are concentrated in the economically advanced regions of the Bohai Rim, the Shandong Peninsula, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta. There are also cities in the northeast, central, northwest and southwest regions where strong government policy and infrastructure investments are helping to promote economic growth. The economic stimulus package announced by the Chinese Government in November 2008 will further help this economic growth to continue in the future.

On the map below, find a summary version of the highlights for each city. The 35 cities included account for around 16 percent of China’s population and 36 percent of the country’s GDP.

www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk/ukti/chinacities

This map should not be considered an authority on the delimitation of boundaries or the spelling of place names. Pins represent the area or country the example refers to - they are not accurately placed.