China’s Regional Economic Development since 1949:Review and Outlook

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949,China’s regional development strategy has experienced three stages-the balanced development strategy before reform and opening up in 1978,imbalanced development strategy since 1978,and the present coordinated development stage.Each stage has its own priorities and characteristics of historical context and offers valuable experience for China’s regional economic development.Reviewing the journey and historic characteristics of China’s regional economic development is of great theoretical and relevant significance to its balanced regional economic development in the new era.Experience shows that in the strategic choice of regional development,importance should be given to the proper handling of relationships between efficiency and fairness,government and market,equilibrium and disequilibrium,and central and local governments.In general,China’s regional economic development has achieved tremendous progress since 1949,particularly since 1978 as manifested in favorable regional development momentum and balanced regional development.Nevertheless,imbalanced and inadequate regional development remain prominent contradictions.In the new era,we must follow Xi Jinping thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics as guidance,implement the strategy of balanced regional development,and bring about a new development pattern characterized by equal access to basic public services,relatively balanced infrastructure accessibility and generally equal living standards.

Coordinating Regional Development as a Solid Foundation for Common Prosperity

Coordinating regional development is a key step for China to achieve the goal of common prosperity for all. From the era of the planned economy to the development,consolidation and improvement of the socialist market economic system after reform and opening up since 1978, as a key target of economic development, China has been committed to balancing regional development, and after decades-long explorations and relentless efforts made great progress. Coordinated regional development-as manifested in narrowed regional development gaps, more equal access to basic public services and eradication of regional absolute poverty-has paved the way for more substantive progress to be made in delivering common prosperity for all. Despite the progress, China still needs to further improve institutional systems for regional coordination and undergird the regional foundation for common prosperity according to the requirements of its new development stage. Specifically, China should focus on the following priorities:(i) Strengthen institutional infrastructure, smooth regional internal and external circulations, and develop a unified domestic market at a higher level;(ii) give full play to the role of the government in equalizing access to basic public services, promoting infrastructure connectivity and protecting basic living standards;(iii) optimize integrated urban-rural development mechanisms, take solid steps to revitalize the countryside, and further coordinate urban and rural development;(iv) improve the layout of the industrial chain and advance interregional industrial chain upgrade and social progress.

BUILDING A MODERATELY PROSPEROUS SOCIETY IN ALL RESPECTS——Regional Coordination

In China’s modernization drive, coordinated regional development and the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects have been two mutually reinforcing dimensions. The three shifts of China’s principal social contradiction have responded to evolving needs of its regional development. Throughout various stages, the strategy of coordinated regional development has promoted the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects in its concept formation, implementation and upcoming completion, which has reinforced regional coordination in return. In striving to achieve the goal of building a moderately prosperous society, China has increased its economic base, balanced its regional development, narrowed regional disparities, and increased equal access to essential public services.

Ecological and Environmental Protection Requirements in China s Regional Coordinated Development Strategy in the New Era

Starting from the historical evolution of China s regional coordinated development policy and practice,three stages of"enlightenment stage","development stage"and"maturity stage",as well as the connotation,characteristics and content of implementing regional coordinated development strategy were analyzed.On this basis,from different aspects of industrial distribution,pollutant characteristics and regional environmental protection policy,the existing ecological and environmental protection problems in China s regional coordinated development in the new era were analyzed,and some suggestions for the next step were put forward.It is necessary to follow the"four ones"concept from the overall point of view,implement"three lines and one list"from the perspective of the width of the access red line,strengthen"joint prevention and control"from the perspective of the depth of regional regulation,deepen the"planning environmental impact assessment"from the perspective of the breadth of industrial distribution,and promote the"green-way model"from the perspective of ecological low carbon.

Regional Coordinated Development and Joint Prevention and Control for Environmental Protection in China in the New Era

The three important historical development stages of China from"standing up","getting rich"to"becoming strong"were analyzed deeply.Regional coordinated development policies and strategies have also gone through the"enlightenment stage","development stage"and"mature stage".On this basis,the problems of the coordination of China s regional coordinated development and joint prevention and control for environmental protection in the new era,as well as suggestions for the next step were further analyzed.

China’s Western Development Strategy for Modernization Drive

The Western Development Strategy(WDS)is a key aspect of China’s coordinated regional development strategy and effort to build a modern country.The world is undergoing profound changes that have not been witnessed in a century.This paper discusses the WDS’s importance in regards to China’s modernization drive and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.First,this paper identifies the WDS’s mission to improve people’s livelihood in China’s western regions,promote common prosperity for the Eurasian continent,and support the green transition of China’s and Eurasian energy economic and environmental systems,and safeguard ecological security in Asia at large.Second,this paper suggests that the key to the WDS is to reshape the geographical layout of economic activity in the western regions to avoid inefficiency.Specifically,China should develop a compact geographical layout of economic activity in the western regions,introduce a unique competition strategy,as well as find solutions for coordinated regional development based on key river basins.Finally,develop smart internet and inland free ports within the western regions.

Public choice on coordinated development of border regions and its empirical research:a case study of Wuling mountain area

Due to the difficult segmentation of land destiny, popularity destiny, industry destiny on the platform of common interests demand, the regional governance of production and living for the needs of the people in cross-regional areas, such as in the aspects of security, education, assignment and management of water resources, transportation, energy, environment protection and public health, the administrative border regional cooperation is relatively easy. These aspects are equivalent to public products. Just because of this, it leads to problems that nobody will not control. The governments, in order to realize regional economic coordinated development and to eliminate the regional interests parties of administrative regions economy in microcosmic, were adapting various self-protection measures, even including that "you may have your policy but I have my countermeasures" that is derived from inter-regional economic relations. The action of market segmentation has limited the flow of various economic development elements, especially the condition of "dead end highway", resource exploitation and use, difficult social security work in social living of the administrative boundary zone. This paper studies the typical economical district of Wuling mountain area in the obvious strategic position at the junction of Chongqing, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei provinces from the angle of regional public management and public choice to present issue awareness and academic purpose.

Study on Coordinated Development of Regions Based on the Construction of Enterprise Value Network

Under the background of constructing harmonious economic society, how to realize the coordinated development of regions in the course of region integration is a key problem. According to the relevant theory of enterprise gene reconfiguration and enterprise value network construction, we analyzed the problems in the merging course between the value network construction and region economic growth. Finally, we put forward the basic path of coordinated development of regions.

Construction of“Beautiful Village”Landscapes from the Perspective of Ecological Civilization: A Case Study of Zizhulin Village in Yanshan County

Based on the interpretation of the connotation of ecological civilization and rural landscape, and takes Zizhulin village in Yanshan County as study object, tiiis paper discusses tiie landscape pattern of Zizhulin Village relying on the national 4A level scenic spot, and demonstrates the feasibility of its construction of natural ecological landscape and local cultural kndscapej so as to provide reference for the construction of the ＂beautiful village＂ landscape with good ecological environment in other parts of China.

Construction Method of Rail Transit Oriented Metropolitan Area under the Integration of Four Networks

In the process of metropolitan area integration,the current rail transit development is not enough to support the rapid expansion of the economy and population of the metropolitan area.It is necessary to attach importance to the important role of rail transit as a support system,promote the integrated development of the metropolitan area,and create a metropolitan area on the track.Through the problems in rail transit development,the development concept of “four networks integration” of rail transit is put forward.From multiple aspects of planning,construction and operation,reasonable promotion strategies are proposed,which could provide feasible suggestions for promoting the construction of metropolitan area on the track.

The Centenary of the CPC:Exploration and Improvement of Central-Local Economic Relationship

Decentralization is a global phenomenon,but growth is not.The economic relationship between central and local governments is an important yet unresolved question in China’s economic development.As a large country with unbalanced political and economic development,China is faced with unbalanced and inadequate development as the primary constraint to meeting people’s ever-growing needs for a better life.The Communist Party of China(CPC)has been exploring to mobilize the initiatives of both central and local governments.During the planned economy era,China experienced a few rounds of centralization of economic powers but failed to strike a balance in maximizing the initiatives of both central and local governments.After the reform and opening up policy enacted in 1978,China’s central and local governments have succeeded in combining economic decentralization with administrative decentralization.China’s central government,local governments and enterprises have become resource allocation entities.China’s economic growth miracle has been driven by promoting the initiatives of central and local governments.Entering the new era,the central-local economic relationship represents an institutional strength of concentrating resources to accomplish great undertakings and leveraging the initiatives of both central and local governments.With the principal contradiction facing China’s development shifted into one between people’s growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development,the management of central and local government relationship has taken on greater theoretical significance and salient implications in the new era.

Evolution Characteristics of Urban Land Use Efficiency under Environmental Constraints in China

In the context of high-quality economic development and coordinated regional development,this paper measures the urban land use efficiency of 275 prefecture-level cities in China from 2003 to 2016,taking into account the unexpected output(environmental pollution),and explores the temporal and spatial evolution of urban land use efficiency through kernel density estimation and spatial autocorrelation analysis.The results show that:(1)From 2003 to 2016,China’s urban land use efficiency showed an overall fluctuating growth,but it remained at a low level.The mean value of urban land use efficiency has been gradually decreasing in east,west and central regions.(2)In the whole country and the eastern,central and western regions,the regional differences have been increasing,and the efficiency values of the whole country and the east have become polarized.(3)Urban land use efficiency shows a weak spatial positive correlation,but the degree of spatial agglomeration is increasing.High-high agglomeration areas are mostly distributed in the southeastern coastal areas,and extend into the central region,while most of the high-low polarized areas are the capital cities of the central and western regions.The low-high depressed areas are scattered around the high-value accumulation areas,some of which have turned into high-high agglomeration areas during the study period,while the low-low homogeneous areas are mainly distributed in the central,western and northeastern regions.Therefore,it is proposed that strengthening the utilization of urban stock land,strengthening the regional cooperation mechanism,and formulating policies which improve the efficiency of land use are effective ways to promote the intensive and economical use of urban land,as well as regional coordinated development.