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To cite this article: Michael Dunford & Thomas Bonschab (2013) CHINESE
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND POLICY, Regions Magazine, 289:1, 10-13, DOI:
10.1080/13673882.2013.10662630
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Regional Survey
Figure 3: Areas suitable for urban and industrial development China’s Urban-Rural Divide
A second reason for the disparities in
development is the gap between rural
and urban areas. In the fi rst 50 years of
the PRC, Chinese spatial inequalities
have expanded in phases of industrial
expansion and contracted in phases
favourable to agriculture. In 2010,
50.1% of the population was still rural,
36.7% worked in agriculture, and yet
agriculture accounted for just 10.1 per
cent of GDP. Clearly if 36.7% of the
occupied population produce just 10.1%
of GDP, average income will be low,
although in many cases, rural incomes
increase as a result of remittances
from some of the 200 million rural
people who work as migrant workers
in China’s larger cities. Of the cross-
Source: CEC (2010) provincial flows of labour, some 90%
originate from central and western
change from the earlier focus on narrow . Restricted development zones: regions regions and some 82% involve moves
conceptions of regional economic with weak resource endowment and to eastern provinces.
performance to a wider concern with the environmental carrying capacity, poor The rural-urban division is important
carrying capacity of the environment, conditions for the agglomeration of for another reason. Most of China’s
the sustainability of development and economic activities and people, and residual poverty is found in fourteen
an equalization of the provision of which are crucial to wider regional or mountainous rural areas in western
public services. On the basis of their national ecological security and food and central China (Figure 4): some
environmental carrying capacity, the safety; and are former revolutionary base areas,
density of current development and their . Prohibited development zones: many are inhabited by minorities, all
resource development potential, four legally established natural and are ecologically sensitive, often the
types of regions have been identified: cultural reserves, where any industrial physical environment is very harsh,
. Optimized development zones: development is prohibited. the incidence of natural disasters is
regions with high density land Many of the most ecologically high, most are inaccessible and without
development and a declining resource vulnerable areas are in western China good infrastructure, in many cases out-
and environmental carrying capacity; explaining their unsuitability for migration results in an ageing population,
. Prioritized development zones: economic development (Figure 3) and many are border areas or cross provincial
regions with relatively strong resource making the quest for a new balance borders and all are areas with unresolved
endowment and environmental between the protection of ecosystems problems of education, health and
carrying capacity as well as favourable and socio-economic development a drinking water. In recent years, the
conditions for the agglomeration of major challenge. government has increased support
economic activities and people; to these so called ‘bloc areas’. More
recently, fourteen (集中连片特殊困难地
Figure 4: China’s bloc areas 区 ji zhong lian pian teshu kunnan diqu –
concentrated contiguous poor areas with
special difficulties) or bloc areas were
identified as the key battleground for
poverty alleviation and development in
the China Rural Poverty Alleviation and
Development Outline (2011-2020) issued
in 2011. In these areas, the aim is to deal
with the problems of poor households
and poor areas. As far as households are
concerned, the aim is to achieve ‘the
two don’t worries’ (food and clothing)
and ‘the three guarantees’ (basic health,
education and housing). As far as area
development is concerned, the solution
entails the design and implementation
of an innovative regional development
Source: Dunford and Li (2010) model and system.
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Regional Survey Regions No 289 Spring 2013
China’s Evolving Development and put forward a series of policies focus is to lie on protection of black
Strategy and Chinese Regional to accelerate the development of the lands, wetlands, forests and grassland,
central and western regions: these areas as well as the promotion of ecological
Development Policies were given priority in the scheduling of protection and economic transformation
China’s regional development strategy
resource development and infrastructure of mountain areas.
has passed through three phases: a
projects, the prices of natural resources China’s coordinated development
balanced development strategy in
were adjusted in their favour, and strategy also comprises policies for
1949-78; an unbalanced strategy from
central fi nancial transfer payments were Upl i f t i ng Cent ra l Ch i na, wh ich
1978-mid 1990’s and a co-ordinated
put in place. Nonetheless disparities since 20 04 ha s prov ided specia l
regional development strategy since continued to increase leading to a support to reinforce the construction
the late 1990’s. In the planned reinforcement of regional policies. of an integrated transport system
economy period, the development In 1999, the government established and energ y and strategic material
of energy, raw materials and heavy the Western Development Strategy. base, expanding markets in central
processing industries was prioritised, The Tenth (2000-2005) and Eleventh China and strengthening competitive
and the geography of development (2005-2010) FYPs included proposals manufacturing and high technology
was driven by resource availability. for co-ordinated regional development, industries. The 12th FYP foresees an
In the mid-1960’s, tense relationships and programmes were developed for enhancement of resource efficiency and
with the United States and its allies each of the four main territorial entities. the development of a recycling economy.
saw the government launch the Third These programmes were designed to The East Coast has been strengthened
Front programme relocating strategic mobilise their resources, exploit their in its role of spearheading China’s
industries in mountainous areas in respective advantages and potentialities development with a view to enhancing
central and western China. Once and increase inter-regional co-operation its capacity to carry out independent
international tensions eased, priority and the inter-regional division of labour. innovation, achieve structural upgrading
was switched to the coast. After 1978, The 1999 Western Deve lopment and a shift from capital and resource-
reform and opening up saw growth St r ateg y i nvolved l a rge - sca le driven to innovation-driven growth,
concentrated in eastern coastal areas. inf rastr ucture projects, econom ic pushing forward its social, economic
The establishment of special economic upgrading and the development of and institutional transition. According
zones, open cities and open economic specialized local industries, managed to the 12th FYP, a focus will be
zones, the introduction of a wide urbanisation, and human capacit y attached to enhancing its capacity for
range of other preferential policies and development. The 12th Five-Year sustainable development, as well as
the mission, set out in an ‘economic Plan (FYP) for 2012-2015 attaches further improving its resource efficiency
development strategy for coastal areas’ special emphasis to the strengthening and pollution control, in order to resolve
put forward at the end of 1987, to environmental protection and geological present environmental bottlenecks.
develop an export-oriented economy disaster prevention, the construction Since 2006, the GDP growth rates in
and play a leading role in international of key ecological function areas and western, central and northeastern China
competition led to a sharp increase in national ecological security barriers. have surpassed eastern China, and the
regional disparities (Figure 4). In 2003, the Revitalization of the Old shares of the three less developed areas
In response, in the mid-1990’s, Northeast Industrial Bases strategy was have started to increase at the expense
the n inth Five Year Plan ( F Y P) adopted. In this case, the policy regime of the east coast, although absolute
indicated that economic and social paid special attention to restructuring differences in GDP per head continue
development should ‘adhere to the and upgrading technological capabilities to increase.
coordinated economic development and reducing pol lution. Measures
among regions, and gradually reduce were adopted to transform resource- Conclusions
the regional development disparities’, based cities. During the 12th FYP, a China’s regional policy has undergone
constant evolution in the light of the
Figure 5: GDP shares of four main territorial divisions results of past policies and the emergence
of new problems. At present, these policies
aim to contain the regional development
disparities, to enable regions to exploit
their potential advantages and to promote
regional competitiveness. More recently,
these measures have started to address a
series of other problems. The first is the
gap between the spatial agglomeration of
economic activities and the integration of
rural migrants into urban life. Although
industrialization and urbanization have
propelled economic growth through
increased industrial and infrastructural
investment, an increased urbanisation of
Source: elaborated from National Bureau of Statistics data the rural population has the potential to
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Regional Survey
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