Qingdao in East China's Shandong province ranks 12th on the 2024 Top 100 Cities in China list, which was recently released by the GYBrand Global Brand Research Institute. [Photo/WeChat account: opinionline]

The GYBrand Global Brand Research Institute recently released the 2024 Top 100 Cities in China ranking. Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen secured the top four spots on the list, with Qingdao ranking 12th. Simultaneously updated was the World's Top 500 Cities list, where Qingdao ranked 97th.

The selection criteria for the top 100 list released by GYBrand are based on their City Brand Value Evaluation Model. In addition to economic strength, the evaluation considers multiple core indicators such as infrastructure, business environment, construction quality, living standards, international reputation, and development potential.

In this year's evaluation of the top 100 cities, in addition to economic strength, business environment and development potential were highly weighted evaluation indicators.

Qingdao has long made use of its favorable environment and momentum to strengthen its development and increase its soft power.

In the evaluation of the business environments of the top 10 container ports in 2023, Qingdao had the highest comprehensive score, being the only city to receive a 4.5-star rating. In this year's government work report, Qingdao reiterated its commitment to creating a first-class business environment and building a distinctive brand for its business environment.

The headquarters economy, with its significant synergetic effects, continues to converge in Qingdao. The city's strong industrial foundation and excellent business environment are among the factors attracting these headquarters.

The evaluation indicators for development potential mainly focus on the evaluation of a city's technological innovation capabilities and attractiveness to talent, which are interrelated.

In terms of overall strength, according to the Global Innovation Index 2023 report published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, Qingdao ranks 23rd globally among the top 100 technological clusters and 13th among the 101 most innovative cities in the country.