DATONG, China— The China Institute of Economic Restructuring recently released its Q1 2026 Independent Assessment Report on Reform Momentum. Datong City secured the second spot among all prefecture-level cities and above nationwide, scoring 84.15 points.
As an authoritative third-party evaluation conducted by a national-level academic society, the Reform Momentum Index uses "three dimensions and one sense" (reform intensity, social responsiveness, public satisfaction, and sense of gain) as its core criteria. Covering six major sectors—economy, society, politics, ecology, Party building, and culture—the index leverages web-wide big data extraction and scientific modeling to objectively gauge city-level reform efforts, public resonance, and tangible benefits delivered to citizens. Datong’s high score strongly validates the city's solid progress and concrete results in comprehensively deepening reforms.
In recent years, Datong has rigorously executed decisions deployed by the provincial Party committee and government. The city has steadfastly embraced its key mission to "build a key national regional city and establish a bridgehead connecting the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration." To achieve its strategic goal of building "three cities and three bases," Datong has advanced its "four-step" economic transition and focused heavily on "four major growth tracks." It continuously leverages institutional reform to break development bottlenecks and accumulate growth drivers. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Datong rolled out 134 major city-level reform initiatives, undertook and completed over 20 national and provincial pilot reforms, and guided more than 500 key reform projects across its counties and districts. Furthermore, the city issued 212 pivotal reform policy documents, ranking in the top-tier "First Phalanx" for five consecutive years in the provincial comprehensive assessment for deepening reforms.
Driven by these comprehensive, region-wide reforms, several of Datong's innovative practices have evolved into signature governance models. Notably:
Digital Governance: The Yungang District, Datong City: "Digital + Party Building + Grid" Model to Smooth the 'Last Mile' of Grassroots Social Governance was selected as a 2023 Top Chinese County-Level Reform Case.
Digital Economy: Datong City: Deepening Market-Based Allocation of Data Elements to Build a National "Computing Power City" was named a 2024 Top Chinese Municipal-Level Reform Case.
Green Energy & Tourism: The Green Power Industrial Park in Datong Economic and Technological Development Zone: Creating a "Zero-Carbon Industry" Demonstration Base Aimed at the EU and Hunyuan County, Datong City: Tapping Cultural Tourism and Wellness Resources of Mount Heng to Open a New Chapter in Full-Scale Transformation were both selected for the 2025 National Key Research List for Local Comprehensive Deepening of Reforms.
(Reporting by Guo Yaxing)
