BEIJING, Nov. 21 -- Half of the top 20 science cities are now in China, according to the Nature Index 2024 Science Cities, a supplement to Nature, released in Beijing on Thursday.

During a forum themed on sci-tech innovation hubs and science cities, Springer Nature issued the supplement acknowledging that Beijing leads the cities. Shanghai now takes second place, pushing New York into third.

The Nature Index showed that Beijing has remained the world's top science city since 2016. Meanwhile, Chinese cities, especially provincial capitals such as Nanjing, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Hefei and Xi'an, have greatly enhanced their position as globally competitive science centers.

The Nature Index noted that many of these rapidly developing cities are playing a specialist role in key technology areas such as electric vehicles and solar energy.

According to the supplement, there is evident progress in the health sciences, an area where Chinese cities still lag behind their Western counterparts.

The Nature Index data showed that although Beijing and Shanghai have maintained a clear lead, the growth in chemistry output from some of China's smaller cities could mark them as future contenders in this field.

In physical sciences, the eastern city of Nanjing climbed above Boston and New York for the first time to reach third place.

With its continued focus on sustainability and ecological protection, China is cementing itself as a leader in Earth and environmental sciences, according to the Nature Index. Beijing, Nanjing and Guangzhou are the three leading cities in the subject.