In the years after the Western Development Strategy went into effect, the western part of China has achieved a lot, but there are still some contradictions and problems.

The research report examines the economic base of cities along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and their industrial state, ecological and educational advantages, and population and urbanization features.

The misallocation of power and responsibilities at different levels of government is one of the main causes hindering the transformation of China's economic development.

The increase in citizen income has lagged behind economic growth for quite a long time in China. The report suggests the government should first consider increasing income to stimulate domestic consumption and maintaining stable economic growth.

Small population, low population density and backwards infrastructure are the main challenges facing county-level cities in China.County-level cities should take their own individual situation into consideration when addressing development.

Through analyzing the practices of 18 countries that account for 80 percent of the world's total emissions and China's economic growth in the coming years, the report predicts China's total carbon emissions in the next decade.