SHENZHEN was ranked No. 1 in openness to the outside world among 32 Chinese cities, 27 of which are provincial capitals, according to a report released Saturday on the eve of the Boao Forum for Asia.

The report by the International Cooperation Center of the National Development and Reform Commission gave Shenzhen a comprehensive score of 91.37. Guangzhou ranked second at 78.74 and Xiamen ranked third at 73.26.

The three cities were dubbed "gold medal" cities in openness. It was the first time for authorities to release an openness index for Chinese cities. The commission said the ranking considered 48 indexes in three categories -- economy, technology and society -- which were subdivided into nine second-tier directories including trade, personnel and other exchanges. The ranking also considered foreign currency deposits in financial institutions and foreign direct investments.

The four municipalities directly under the Central Government -- Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing --weren't included in the ranking because they were assessed in a previous regional openness report, the center said.

Second-tier cities in the ranking, called "silver medal" cities in openness, include Hangzhou, Ningbo, Nanjing, Dalian and Qingdao, whose scores range between 60 and 70. Nineteen other cities, with marks between 50 and 59, are regarded as third-tier cities in the ranking. Those cities include Hefei, Changchun, Jinan and nine cities from China's central and western areas.

The report said all the "gold medal" and "silver medal" cities are from eastern or coastal areas, indicating an uneven development of China's regional economies and openness.

(Source:Shenzhen Daily)