Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province was ranked seventh in China in terms of attractiveness to foreign talents in 2020, five slots higher than the previous year, according to a recent report.

The report was released by the Ministry of Science and Technology at the 2021 Euro-Asia Economic Forum that kicked off on Oct 18 in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

Beijing topped the ranking, followed by Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Chengdu, Ningbo, Suzhou, Shenzhen and Qingdao.

The report, which has been released annually since 2010, was based on surveys of expats living and working in China including Nobel Laureates and China Friendship Award winners. 

Cities are evaluated based on factors including the levels of working and living convenience for foreign talents, openness and social environment.

Ningbo has become increasingly attractive to global talents in recent years. The city has to date welcomed nearly 4,000 foreign talents, including 12 China Friendship Award winners and 88 West Lake Friendship Award winners.

The West Lake Friendship Award is the highest honor attainable by foreign experts who have devoted themselves to the economic and social development of Zhejiang province.

Foreign talents have become an important innovation force fueling the city's development. The 2,282 overseas engineers the city has brought in have helped local enterprises obtain more than 6,700 new patents and generate an additional 50 billion yuan ($7.69 billion) in output value, according to official data.