Opportunities knock in tale of six cities
Chongqing Municipality: Located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the city has the largest area and population in China, with 31 million people. Strengths include manufacturing, retail and the auto market. It has abundant water reserves, mineral resources and forest.
Wuhan, Hubei Province: A city of 8 million people with a long history of trade. Industries include steel, iron and auto parts.
Chengdu, Sichuan Province: This capital city's population has expanded from 5 million to 10 million in 10 years and is expected to climb to 15 million. Industries include electronic information, pharmaceuticals, machinery, food processing and petrochemical processing.
Xi'an, Shaanxi Province: Capital city is famous for Terracotta Warriors and it is a historical gateway to western China for multinationals.
Dalian, Liaoning Province: The "Pearl of the Northeast" is an important seaport. The second-largest city in the province is strong in trade, tourism and information. It has a comfortable lifestyle, scenic environment and rich legacy of cultural heritage.
Ningbo, Zhejiang Province: With a population of 5.3 million, the coastal city is a prosperous international harbor for foreign trade, and a base of chemical industry.
(China Daily 11/16/2007 page19)
