Shenzhen has overtaken Shanghai as 2002's most competitive city on China's mainland, according to the latest rating issued by the China Society of Urban Competitive Power in Beijing.

Shanghai fell to the second place, followed by Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xi'an, Shenyang, Qingdao, Xiamen and Dalian.

Shenzhen's competitive strength lies in its free economic and market environment, which recognizes the importance of knowledge, technology and ability and has helped attract tens of thousands of technical and management experts to the city over the past two decades, the society says.

The rating, which has been issued annually by the society since the 1990s, looks at ten areas, including industry, technology, finance, infrastructure, government performance, and the environment.

(People's Daily May 1, 2002)