Nanjing, a vibrant city in the Yangtze River Delta. [Photo/js.qq.com]

China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development in December outlined a plan to develop 10 "national central cities" in the country.

While it is widely thought that cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Chongqing and Shenzhen will be concluded in the plan, a number of fringe cities have been highlighted as potential candidates.

Authorities in Nanjing hope that the city will make the grade, as do authorities in Xi'an in Shaanxi province, Wuhan in Hubei province, Changsha in Hunan province and Kunming in Yunnan province.

"As the ancient capital for six dynasties, Nanjing has extraordinary advantages in location, industry development, traffic and education. In 2015, the city's GDP reached 972.77 billion yuan ($149.87 billion), among which the service sector accounts for 57.5 percent, a rate ranking second only to Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta", said Wang Yaonan, a director from Nanjing municipal bureau for urban planning.

Wang further explained that to make Nanjing a competitive candidate for the 10 national central cities, the city has readjusted its urban development plans to elevate its importance in regional development.