The Yangtze River Delta, a major powerhouse of China's economy,
could be expanded from 16 major cities to include the entire region
to bring about smooth integration among Shanghai and the
neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
Experts attending an international seminar over the weekend,
which saw top leaders from Shanghai and the two provinces
attending, announced that the long-anticipated regional-development
outline would soon be released, Hong Kong-based Wen Wei Po
reported.
While ensuring Shanghai's status as the zone's core, a
three-layer, sustained coordinative mechanism is in the pipeline to
promote integration of the delta and enhance its global
competitiveness.
It is the first time for the delta's integration to top the
strategic agenda of the financial hub and its two neighbors.
Citing the seminar's participants, the Hong Kong newspaper said
the regional development outline and another guideline - partly
drafted by the National Development and Reform Commission to
further reform, opening up and coordinated development in the
region - would be unveiled soon.
Traditionally, the integration concept includes the cities of
Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Taizhou, Wuxi,
Changzhou, Nantong, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Huzhou, Jiaxing, Zhoushan,
Shaoxing and Taizhou. The two new documents would extend it to
include less-developed areas in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
Tu Qiyu, a researcher from Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences,
said Monday that the expanded integration would unify
administrative systems in Jiangsu and Zhejiang and make cooperation
easier within the zone.
"Instead of the current 'one province, two systems' policy in
Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the change will broaden cooperation in more
respects and make for a more harmonious development in the whole
area," Tu said.
The seminar, opened on December 1, highlighted regional
environmental protection and sustainable economic development,
unification of the delta's market, sharing 2010 Shanghai Expo
opportunities and expanding the expo's effects.
To remove administrative barriers to further integration within
the zone, industry and commerce administrators in Shanghai and its
two neighbors also signed a joint memorandum of understanding on
unifying market access for businesses in the region.
(China Daily, December 4, 2007)