An aerial view of the ancient town of Qiandeng, Kunshan, Suzhou City on June 14, 2023 (CFP Photo)

Jiangsu Province boasts 23 places in the latest Research Report on Competitiveness of China's Top 100 Counties in 2023, released by CCID Consulting on July 25.

CCID Consulting is directly affiliated with the China Center for Information Industry Development of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Notably, six out of top 10 counties on the ranking are located in the coastal province, including all of the top four. In terms of regions, 42 counties of the top 100 are situated in the Yangtze River Delta, one of the country's most dynamic economic hubs.

The ranking this year applied two essential criteria for county-level regions: GDP of at least 60 billion yuan and general public budget revenue of at least 2 billion yuan. The regions were then evaluated based on their economic strength, growth potential, affluence, and sustainable development performance.

Several innovation-driven city clusters, led by Kunshan, Jiangyin, Cixi and Yiwu, have emerged in the delta region, sharing a common advantage of innovative technology.