The Federation had a strict and rigid classification system for its cities. The eighteen cities on Earth were all classified as special regions administratively. Only the capital city on Earth and the main Martian Colony City were considered main cities.
A class below the special regions were countless other identical cities. They were generally affiliated and reported to special regions. These cities were of the same class as Wang Baole's new city.
Once a new city was promoted to a special region though, it was completely transformed. It was the difference between heaven and earth. After all, the Federation had only eighteen special regions as of now, and all were on Earth.
The implications of promoting Wang Baole's city to a special region were vast. The Martian Colony Governor would definitely support this push as this was a good thing for Mars.