Central China to get a steering panel

The central provinces of China, which are struggling to pluck their sinking economy up by the bootstraps, should work more closely with each other, a chief planning official said yesterday.

To encourage such integration, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is preparing to set up an office to help guide development in the central region, said Fan Hengshan, the director of the NDRC's Department of Regional Economy.

The regional office will be directly under the State Council, which is China's cabinet, and is expected to function like the State Council offices dedicated to promoting the development of the western and northeastern regions, experts said.