Government gives nod to city cluster to revive northeast rust belt

The central government has approved plans for a city cluster in the northeast rust belt in yet another move to revive the traditional industrial base.

According to a post on the State Council website, the provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin will launch a restructuring program, which will see their capital cities of Harbin and Changchun turning into centers of a group of cities.

The coordinated development of the region will cover a number of fields, including industry, environment and public services, it said.