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Bigger role for delta

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-25 08:04

The expanded Yangtze River Delta region should shoulder more responsibilities to build itself into a better, stronger and more harmonious area, says an article in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

According to the newly released directive from the State Council on how to boost the region's reform and opening and social development, the Yangtze River Delta now includes Shanghai municipality, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

The region originally covered 14 cities, expanded to 15 cities and then grewto 16. Now it covers all areas of Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. From this process, we have witnessed the growth of this delta.

People may still remember that during those years, cities in the northern part of Jiangsu and southern part of Zhejiang, both of which are less-developed areas, frequently asked to be included in the Yangtze River Delta. Even Anhui and Jiangxi provinces put forward the idea of "merging into the Yangtze River Delta". This demonstrates the great attraction of this area.

Those less-developed cities that have long hoped to join the Yangtze River Delta have now had their wishes fulfilled. From now on, they can benefit more from the delta's fast economic growth and share in the fruits of this. But for every city belonging to this delta, the expansion entails more responsibilities.

As the directive said, cities in this delta must keep pace with the times and deepen their reform and opening. They should enhance the strategic adjustment of their economic structure, strengthen their innovative capacity, and harmonize the development of their rural and urban regions. They should also strengthen environmental protection and resource-saving.

By doing so, they should try to build this delta into the world's key portal in the Asia-Pacific region, the world's key advanced manufacturing base, and the world's most competitive conglomeration of cities.

Under the guidance of this directive, cities in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang should conduct a careful analysis of their respective shortcomings, such as whether their growth model is too extensive, how to reduce high-energy consumption industries and how to collectively protect the Yangtze River and Taihu Lake.

(China Daily 09/25/2008 page8)