The Yangtze River’s Development Swells

Coordinated regional development has long been a focus of the Chinese Government. For instance， over the past few decades， the government has rolled out the western region development plan as well as its strategy of revitalizing northeast China. It has also developed economic zones in regions such as the west coast of the Taiwan Straits and the Yangtze River Delta. At present， another such regional development zone， the Yangtze River Economic Belt， is being unfolded as a national strategy.

The economic zone spans nine provinces—Jiangsu， Zhejiang， Anhui， Jiangxi， Hubei， Hunan， Sichuan， Yunnan and Guizhou， and two municipalities—Shanghai and Chongqing. It covers an area of 2.05 million square km along the Yangtze River， with the combined population and GDP exceeding 40 percent of the national total. Meanwhile， the Yangtze Rivers freight traffic is among the busiest worldwide. As China restructures its economy under the “new normal” of slower growth， the construction of the economic zone represents an important strategic step in policymaking.

The Yangtze River Economic Belt will seek to link the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road with Chinas hinterland. The economic zone will also connect transit along the Yangtze River to maritime transportation. That means that Chinas inland areas will have an easier access to the sea in the future， and that inland cities such as Wuhan and Chongqing will be able to trade with other countries through river and maritime shipping， which has the advantage of being cheaper than land and air services. The zone is expected to become an open platform for international economic cooperation.

In addition to opening up the hinterland to the world， the Yangtze River Economic Belt will unleash the development potential of areas along the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. As coastal regions in east China are in a critical period of economic restructuring， those cities can host the industries being transferred from the east while simultaneously providing resources for eastern regions. The Yangtze River Economic Belt will therefore promote cooperation between different regions along the river as well as narrow their gaps in development.

The establishment of the Yangtze River Economic Belt will also help realize the reasonable distribution of resources， in addition to the fostering of the balanced social and economic development of the region.

As the development strategy unfolds， the Yangtze River will not only be an iconic geological feature of China but it will also become associated with economic integration and growth.