An Overview of China’s Regional Development and Overall Pattern

Abstract

China is a large country with a vast territory. Regional policies constitute an important part of the country’s macro-regulation policies. The regional development strategies after the founding of New China can be divided into three stages. After the founding of the PRC and before the reform and opening up, the state generally implemented a regional development strategy tilted toward the inland. From the reform and opening up to the end of the twentieth century, China’s regional development strategy was featured by prioritized development of coastal areas. In the following decade, the central government issued a series of major decisions to promote coordinated development among regions: Western Development Strategy implemented in 1999, the revitalization strategy of old industrial bases in the northeast region in 2003, and the strategy of promoting the rise of the central region in 2006.