1. The UN's 2030 Agenda has been implemented by all member states as a universal plan to achieve sustainability.
2. Most studies have only evaluated the past progress of SDGs and not whether Chinese cities can achieve the 17 SDGs by 2030 or how paths can be simulated to achieve these goals by 2030.
3. A scenario-based projection model was proposed to simulate the SDG index and 17 SDGs until 2030 with scenarios representing various improvement paths, and 285 Chinese cities were selected for analysis.
The article is generally reliable and trustworthy, as it provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of sustainable development in China, including an evaluation of the SDG index (scores 0–100) of Chinese cities over time and simulations of the SDG index and 17 SDGs up to 2030 based on a proposed scenario-based projection model. The article also presents a cost-effective path for each SDG of each city to enhance sustainability by 2030, which is useful for policymakers when allocating resources to vulnerable cities, formulating long-term integrated strategies, and underpinning the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
However, there are some potential biases that should be noted. For example, while most studies have only evaluated the past progress of SDGs, this article does not explore any counterarguments or present both sides equally when discussing possible solutions for achieving sustainable development in China by 2030. Additionally, while 285 Chinese cities were selected for analysis in this article, it is unclear if this sample size is representative enough to draw meaningful conclusions about sustainable development in China as a whole. Finally, while the article does provide a cost-effective path for each SDG of each city to enhance sustainability by 2030, it does not discuss any potential risks associated with implementing these strategies or how they might affect other areas outside of those being targeted directly.