North China's Tianjin ranks ninth on the list of the 10 Chinese cities with the highest development potential in 2019, according to a report issued by Sina Finance.

Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province topped the list, followed by Beijing and Shanghai the second and third spots.

Other cities are Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong province, Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan province, Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu province, Wuhan in Central China's Hubei province, Chongqing in Southwest China and Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province.

The report found that populations continued to swell in first and second-tier cities with prominent development potential.

These cities -- especially Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen – are taking the leading role in industrial innovation, hosting 70 percent of the country's listed companies and obtaining 75 percent of granted invention patents in the country, the report concluded.