China is set to be a “global hotspot for business opportunity”, according to a report from the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Access China service.

The report identifies the top 20 fastest growing large cities, represented by ‘CHAMPS’ — Chongqing, Hefei, Anshan, Maanshan, Pingdingshan and Shenyang.

According to the report, while the financial crisis has hit the income of the export centres, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, based in the East of the country, the rise of the CHAMPS reflects growth moving away from the export-led East to China’s inland.

Gareth Leather, EIU analyst and one of the report’s authors, says: “Our report shows that China’s urban population will continue to grow for the next 30 years. That’s good news for economic growth. People in the fast-growing cities will have money to spend.

“The growth rate of disposable income per head in Hefei will be nearly seven times faster than London’s in 2012. The cities themselves will have enormous economies, with the city of Zhengzhou having an economy bigger than Hong Kong, Sweden or Israel.”