Trillion club reveals cities are the driving force for growth

ELEVEN YEARS AGO, Shanghai became the first city in China whose GDP exceeded 1 trillion yuan ($156 billion). By the end of last month, the number of the cities in the 1 trillion yuan club had risen to 14, with Wuxi in Jiangsu province, and Changsha in Hunan province, as the latest newcomers. Beijing News commented on Tuesday:

It is not easy for a city to cross the 1 trillion yuan threshold, as only 55 countries and regions in the world have a GDP above that level.

Given the robust and steady growth of China's economy over the past decade, the GDP growth of cities is natural, as they are the main growth engine in the country.