Nanjing is considered by the international community to be one of the most promising cities in the Pacific-Rim region in the 21st century. It has been ranked fourth by Forbes magazine in its listing of “2008 Top 100 Business Cities in Mainland China”, seventh in the evaluation of “Cities with Strongest Comprehensive Strength” issued by the National Statistics Bureau, and second in the evaluation of cities with most sustainable development potential in the Yangtze River Delta.

It has also been awarded the title of 2008 Habitat Scroll of Honor of China, Special Award of UN Habitat Scroll of Honor and National Civilized City. In 2008, the city yielded a gross domestic product of 37.75 billion yuan (US$5.5 billion) and financial revenue of 74.24 billion yuan (US$10.82 billion ). Pillar industries, such as electronics, automobiles, petrochemicals, iron and steel, account for 66.8 percent of the city’s total industrial volume, and hi-tech industries, such as software, biomedicine and new materials, are producing a concentrated effect. Nanjing also has the most advanced tertiary industry in Jiangsu Province and is one of the key cities in commerce, trade, finance, tourism and logistics in the Yangtze River Delta.