Four county-level cities of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, are among the top five in an economic competitiveness ranking of Chinese counties, according to a survey conducted by Zhongjun Research Institute, an economic think tank.

The survey has ranked Chinese counties on the basis of three indicators: economic competitiveness, level of prosperity and environmental protection.

Kunshan shared the top position with Jiangyin, a county-level city under Wuxi, another Jiangsu's city, while Zhangjiagang, Changshu and Taicang, all under the jurisdiction of Suzhou, won the second to fifth spots. Altogether, Jiangsu's 26 counties have entered the list of top 100 county-level cities.

Statistics also reveal that Jiangsu Province achieved 3.39 trillion yuan ($530 billion) in GDP in the first half of this year, second after Guangdong Province whose GDP recorded at 3.45 trillion yuan ($538 billion).