National Development and Reform Commission October 16, 2008 |
The Yangze-river Delta Region boasts the strongest comprehensive strength among regions in China , and it holds a strategic position and plays a driving force in the socialist modernization. Since the reform and opening-up, especially after we have promoted the development and opening-up of Pudong Shanghai, the Yangze-river Delta Region has made great achievements in its social-economic development. In this way, it has accumulated rich experience and made important contributions to serving the overall development of the country as well as pulling the development of neighboring regions. Nowadays the international economic environment has undergone significant changes and various reforms are being promoted further. Thus, the State Council has published and delivered the Guiding Opinions on Further Promoting the Reform, Opening-up and Social-Economic Development of the Yangze-River Delta Region (hereinafter referred to as “the Guiding Opinions”) with the aim to further pushing forward the cause. The Guiding Opinions pointed out that, further promoting the reform and opening-up of the Yangze-River Delta Region, including the Shanghai city, Jiangsu province and Zhejiang province, will contribute to advancing the regional economic integration, lifting the independent innovation capacity and overall economic quality, strengthening the Delta's pulling and radiating effects on central and western China, promoting the coordinated development among different regions in China, improving the open economy and enhancing China's international competitiveness and risk-resistant capacity. Such move will also help push forward the systematic innovation and build a more dynamic, efficient and open mechanism. The Guiding Opinions state explicitly that we should uphold the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics in further promoting the reform, opening-up and social-economic development of the Yangze-River Delta Region. Such work should be guided by the Dexiaoping theory and important thoughts of “Three Represents”. We should firmly implement the Scientific Development Outlook, further free ourselves from outmoded mindset and improve ourselves with each passing day. We should further deepen the reform and open wider to the outside world. Efforts should be stepped up to carry out strategic economic restructuring, enhance the independent innovation capacity, promote the coordinated development of the urban and rural areas, lift the level of resource conservation and environmental protection, and promote social harmony and moral education. Only in this way can we take the lead in developing the Yangze-river Delta region in a scientific, harmonious and integrated manner, and build the region into one key international portal in the Asia-Pacific region, an important base for advanced manufacturing in the globe, a world-level cluster of cities with strong international competitiveness. As a result, the Delta region will make even greater contribution in the cause of China 's modernization and building a well-off society in an overall way. The Guiding Opinions put forward the following principles in further promoting the reform, opening-up and social-economic development of the Yangze-River Delta Region. Firstly, stick to the scientific development. Step up efforts to improve independent innovation, implement resources conservation and environmental protection, and push forward the transformation of economic growth mode. Secondly, persist in harmonious development. Work hard to ensure and improve people's welfare, enhance the building of the socialist democracy and legitimate framework, and safeguard social justice and fairness. Thirdly, adhere to taking the lead in development. Strengthen the cooperation and coordination with neighboring regions and the middle and upper stream of the Yangze River . Enhance the serving and radiating role so as to pull the central and western regions in their development. Fourthly, stick to the integrated development. We should plan as a whole the infrastructure projects in the Delta region, build a unified and open market system, and facilitate the rational flow and optimized distribution of essential production factors. Fifthly, persist in reform and opening-up. We should further take the lead in carrying out pilot programs in systematic innovation and make breakthroughs in important areas and key links, so as to provide mechanical guarantee for the sound and rapid development. The Guiding Opinions put forward major objectives for the different stages in the future development of the Yangze-river Delta Region. Such objectives go as follows: In 2012, the industrial structure in the Delta region will be further optimized, with the service industry accounting for a remarkably larger share; innovation capacity will be markedly improved and technology advancement makes greater contribution to the economy; regional division of labor and industrial map out become more rational and the quality and level of opening-up have been distinctly lifted; the energy consumption of per capita regional production should be lowered than the national average and the ecological degeneration trend be checked in key areas; the social security system covers both the urban and rural regions with increased ability to provide public service, and the goal of building a well-off society in an all-round way should be achieved in substance. By 2020, the Delta region should form a new industrial structure featuring the service industry as the mainstay and the three industries developing in a coordinated way, technological innovation approach or reach the world advanced level, which play a markedly leading and supporting role in economic development; the inside-regional development become more coordinated featuring a rational division of labor and each having its advantages; the total volume of major pollutants discharge should be put under effective control, and the energy consumption per capita region production approach and reach the world advance level, so as to create an ecological environment in which human and nature live in harmony; the social security system has been further improved and each civilian enjoys equal basic public service. In a longer term, the Delta region should take the lead in basically realizing modernization. To achieve the above goals, the Guidance Opinions put forward 10 key areas of reform to further advance the opening up and economic and social reform of the Yangtze River Delta Region: 1. Struggle for the establishment of a service-dominant industrial mix by means of accelerating the development of service industry and improving service industry development environment. 2. Struggle for the establishment of world-class level manufacturing base through comprehensive industrial mix optimization and upgrade, high-tech and pillow industries expansion and strengthening, layout optimization and competitiveness optimization. 3. To take an overall consideration of urban and rural development, strive for modern agricultural development, speed up the improvement of agricultural production, operation, logistics and service systems, deepen rural reform and advance the socialist new countryside construction. 4. Strive for independent innovation, establish regional innovation system with international competitiveness, create policy environment that encouraging independent innovation, and strengthen newly type talent cultivation and introduction, speed up the establishment of new type region. 5. Follow a new urbanization path, build up a comprehensive city and village system, improve and upgrade city functions, improve city and village planning and construction management level, build up world class level city groups with high international competitiveness. 6. Actively implement the integration construction of major infrastructure, improve transportation system, build up regional energy security system, improve irrigation infrastructure, improve information infrastructure, and increase the support ability of regional development. 7. Push forward construction energy conservation and environment friendly society, improve land conservation and intensive cultivation, implement comprehensive energy conservation and emission reduction, strengthen environment protection and eco-system construction, and increase sustainable development ability. 8. Strengthen construction of cultural and social cause, speed up improvement of employment and social security system, strengthen administration and service of non-local citizens and promote coordinate development of economy and society. 9. Give priority to tough issues during reform, vigorously implement administrative system reform, continue non-state owned economy development and state owned enterprises reform, accelerate process of marketization, and build up standard transparent legal environment, continue major pilot reform, take the lead to establish perfect socialist market economy system. 10. Improve open economic system, accelerate transformation of foreign trade growth model, focusing on quality improvement of foreign capital utilization, step up the “going global “ strategy, upgrade opening up level comprehensively. Supportive measures on implementation of various missions are clearly stated in the Guidance Opinion. First, strengthen overall coordination. Based on the requirement of Guidance Opinion, the two provinces and one municipality need to study and formulate feasible implementation plan, implement various tasks, carry out practical research, and learn experience and report to the State Council on major issues. NDRC will take the lead to work out the Regional Planning on the Yangtze River Delta Region, coordinate well with other plans, and organize the implementation and supervision of various policies and measures. State Council related departments should speed up function transformation, increase service awareness, put forward specific measures to support and promote the opening up and economic and social development in the region. Second, improve cooperation mechanism. Facing new situation, new model of regional economy management need to be explored following the principle that many parties are involved with government provides the guidance, enterprises play the major role according the market principle so as to further improve cooperation mechanism, strengthen infrastructure construction, industrial distribution, eco-system environment protection cooperation and coordination. To actively promote Pan-Yangtze River Delta Region cooperation, economic coordination and technology and talent cooperation need to be enhanced to drive and help the development of mid and western regions. And economic contact and cooperation should be promoted with Hong Kong, Marco and Taiwan . The Guidance Opinions emphasize that it is an issue concerning the overall national opening up and modernization that whether the delta region could achieve good and fast development. The two provinces, and the municipality and relevant departments of State Council should strengthen cooperation, unite and fight together, strive for a leap forward development of the delta region by creating new advantages at a high starting point through innovative working. This is the summary version, full text of the Guidance Opinions is available on the web of the Chinese Government: http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2008-09/16/content_1096217.htm
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