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The Pearl River Delta Economic Zone

The delta with the lovely name and an 11,300-sq-km expanse of silt deposits was formed by the Pearl River where it empties into the South China Sea on its age-old journey through central Guangdong Province.

The Pearl River Delta Economic Zone is vastly different from the geographical concept of its namesake. The economic zone was proposed in 1994, to encompass nine cities in Guangdong Province: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing. This constitutes what has become known as the “Lesser Pearl River Delta.”

In the late 1990s, the “Greater Pearl River Delta” Economic Zone came into being, referring to the areas of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. In 2003, the “Pan-Pearl River Delta” was used to refer to the economically entangled nine provinces and autonomous regions in, or neighboring, the Pearl River Delta, namely Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangdong, as well as Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR, or its nickname,“9+2.”

The leading edge of Chinas opening to the outside world, the Pearl River Delta relies on its adjacency to Hong Kong and Macao. As the hometown of many overseas Chinese, it has certain advantages in attracting foreign investors keen to make good on its low land prices and plentiful, low-priced workforce. A large number of manufacturers from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have shifted their operations into the zone, turning it into an export processing base. About half of the zones GDP can be attributed to its foreign trade. From the early years of reform and opening-up to the present, the Pearl River Delta has been one of the powerhouses of Chinas economic development. The government has given enterprises in this zone preferential treatment designed to encourage the development of an export-oriented economy.

The Yangtze River Delta

Economic Zone

The Yangtze River Delta refers to the alluvial plain at the mouth of the Yangtze River. It includes Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu Province and parts of Zhejiang Province. The Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone covers 109,600 square kilometers and incorporates Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu Provinces Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Nantong, Yangzhou and Taizhou, and Zhejiang Provinces Hangzhou, Ningbo, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Shaoxing, Zhoushan and Taizhou. The “city strip” of the Yangtze River Delta, headed by Shanghai, has been recognized as one of the six major city strips in the world.

The Yangtze River Delta was one of the earliest areas in China to open up. It is distinct from the Pearl River Delta in the sense that private enterprises and township industries that produce for the domestic market have powered its economic boom. Through the coordinated development of a regional economy, its export capability has kept increasing, resulting in economic miracles such as the “Wenzhou mode.” The combined foreign trade of the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta make up half of Chinas foreign trade.

The Bohai-Rim Economic Zone

The Bohai-Rim Economic Zone refers to Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Dalian, Jinan, Qingdao, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, Taiyuan and Hohhot, and the nature and development of this key area are heavily influenced by state policies. Covering the national political and cultural center and the north-central section of the eastern coast opening to the outside world, the zone possesses obvious advantages with a concentration of professional talents, and fostering of new and high technologies. Transportation is convenient and well integrated. Its industries, such as petroleum, petrochemicals, ocean chemicals, iron and steel, machine-building, electronics, light and textile industry, and cotton and aquatic yields, all occupy important places in the countrys economy. The Bohai-Rim is concentrating on maximizing its existing intellectual resources, and stoking achievement in technology-intensive and knowledge-based industries, such as microelectronics, optics, computer, and new bio-engineering materials.

Within the zone, China is pulling out all the stops to boost the development of Tianjins seafront Binhai New Area, so it can become an international gateway and navigation and logistics center, as well as a sophisticated manufacturing and R & D application base in North China. The central government has promulgated preferential financial, industrial and land policies to support Binhai New Areas economic sophistication.

The Yellow River Delta Economic Zone

The Yellow River Delta Economic Zone is a shallow cradle formed by the Yellow River as it empties into the sea at Dongying, Shandong Province. The planning for this areas economic transformation draws a line around Dong-ying and Binzhou, as well as Weifangs Hanting District and cities of Shouguang and Changyi, Dezhous Leling City and Qingyun County, Zibos Gaoqing County; and Yantais Laizhou City. In all, 19 counties (county-level cities, districts) in six cities are included in the 26,500-sq-km jurisdiction.

Buttressed by four ports – Dongying, Binzhou, Weifang, and Laizhou – four corresponding port-front industrial sub-zones will be established within the major zone. Dongyings port-front industrial sub-zone will include chemicals, power and logistics, on which rest the chemical industry, power supply and equipment manufacturing bases, the regional logistics center, and warehousing and distribution hubs.

At present, the State Council is reviewing plans for the development of a high-efficiency, ecologically responsible area in the Yellow River Delta.

The Cross-Straits West Bank

Economic Zone

In 2004, Fujian Province on Chinas southeast coast proposed the establishment of an economic zone within its boundaries. By May 2009 the State Council had formulated policy to support this idea. This economic zone, with Fujian as the fulcrum, faces Taiwan and is adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao. It includes southern Zhejiang, northern Guangdong and part of Jiangxi, and is linked to the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta economic zones. An economic synthesis of Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Wenzhou and Shantou would form a regional economic community with serious geo-economic benefits.

The Chengdu-Chongqing

Economic Zone

In 2007, Chongqing Municipality and Sichuan Province reached an agreement on the establishment of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone. Jointly administered by the two cities, it wraps up 15 cities along the expressways, railways and waterways under Chengdu and Mianyang, as well as 31 districts and counties within one-hour drive from Chongqing. The total area is 206,100 square kilometers. This zones goal is to become a base of advanced equipment manufacture, modern service industries, and hi-tech industrial and agricultural products. Plans are also afoot to make the zone a national pilot area for integrated urban-rural reforms, a role model for other inland areas in implementing the opening-up strategy, a national ecological safety zone and an ecological buffer in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.