Strategy for Integrated Development of the Yangtze River Delta, also called the YD Integrated Development, is the economic development strategy of China for the Yangtze Delta urban agglomeration, covering Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui. The strategy was first proposed by Xi Jinping, then Party Secretary of Zhejiang, in January 2003. In 2018, Xi Jinping, now General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, announced his support for the integration of the Yangtze River Delta to become a national strategy, and in the same year it was included in the Government Work Report of Premier Li Keqiang.
In 2019, the State Council issued the Outline of the Regional Integrated Development Plan for the Yangtze River Delta, with the goal of creating the largest urban agglomeration in China and the sixth largest in the world. This is considered to be the full formation of the New Jiangnan, marking the full recovery of the political, economic and cultural status of the Jiangnan region.
History
Regional historical background The Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Anhui regions share a common historical and cultural background. They were historically known as Wuyue and the Eastern Chu region. Their civilizations began with the Lingjiatan culture and the Liangzhu culture. In the pre-Qin period, they belonged to the Huaiyi and Baiyue regions. In the Spring and Autumn period, they were divided into the Chu, Wu and Yue regions. In the Warring States period, the Yangtze River Delta region was monopolized by the Chu State. In the later period, it was the political and cultural center of the Chu State. The "Lüshi Chunqiu" states that "Wu and Yue are adjacent to each other, with the same customs and language. We can live in their land." The core is the Wu language area around the Taihu Lake Basin, which was also called Xiaojiangnan in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The cultural formation of the Yangtze River Delta region is believed to have begun during the Six Dynasties, when Nanjing was the national economic, political, and cultural center. During the Song Dynasty, the Yangtze River Delta region was divided into Lianghuai, Liangzhe, and Liangjiang, and once again became the political and cultural center of the national regime. During the Ming Dynasty, the Yangtze River Delta region belonged to Nanzhili and Zhejiang Province. Its economic and cultural status in the country reached its peak during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and it was "the best in the country".
After the establishment of the Nanjing National Government, the Yangtze River Delta region became the political, economic, and cultural center of the Republic of China, and the political, economic, educational, and financial foundation of the Nanjing government. This also led to the slow development of the Jiangnan region after the establishment of the People's Republic of China, and a period of decline. In Zhejiang Province, the state-owned investment between 1949 and 1978 was only 7.7 billion yuan. To this day, the number of state-owned enterprises ranks last in the country.
Early collaboration development After Shanghai opened as a port in 1843, it replaced Suzhou and became the economic center of the Yangtze River Delta. According to the population statistics of Shanghai in January 1950, local residents in Shanghai accounted for only 15% of the total population of the city. The remaining 85% came from other places, with the majority coming from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Among them, more than 2.3 million people were from Jiangsu, accounting for 48.6%; more than 1.2 million people were from Zhejiang, accounting for 26.1%. Since then, Shanghai has had close ties with Jiangsu and Zhejiang, with frequent exchanges of people, money and goods.
In November 1954, after the East China Bureau of the CCP Central Committee stopped its external work, the CCP Central Committee decided to establish the Shanghai Bureau of the CCP Central Committee. Its main responsibilities were to focus on rural areas, and to carry out the socialist transformation of the ownership of means of production in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, as well as to inspect, investigate and understand the implementation of the central government's instructions and policies. In July 1957, the Shanghai Bureau of the CCP Central Committee convened an economic cooperation meeting for Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi and Shanghai, and later decided to establish an economic cooperation committee. In February 1958, the CCP Central Committee made the "Decision on Convening a Regional Cooperation Meeting", pointing out that "Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Shandong and Jiangxi are the East China Cooperation Zone" as a consultation body for economic work. Later, in June of the same year, the "Decision on Strengthening the Work of the Cooperation Zone" was made, and each cooperation zone established a cooperation zone committee. In September 1960, the Shanghai Bureau was abolished.
In September 1960, the Politburo of the CCP decided to establish six central bureaus, including the East China Bureau. On January 18, 1961, the Ninth Plenary Session of the Eighth CCP Central Committee passed the "Resolution on the Establishment of Central Bureaus", which clearly stated that "each central bureau's main task is to establish a relatively complete economic system in its region". The "Resolution" also pointed out that the East China Bureau of the CCP Central Committee represented the CCP Central Committee in leading the six provinces and one city of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Anhui, and Shandong. On January 17, 1967, in response to the Cultural Revolution, the East China Bureau was attacked by the " rebels " and stopped working.
Shanghai Economic Zone Period Although the economic development of the Yangtze River Delta is decentralized, the economy of the Yangtze River Delta region will tend to be integrated. In 1980, Shanghai launched a discussion on "Where is Shanghai going?", including a study on "Research on the establishment of a Yangtze River Delta economic zone centered on Shanghai" conducted by five people from the Shanghai Institute of Science Studies, East China Normal University and Wenhui Daily. In December 1982, after visiting East China, Vice Premier Yao Yilin submitted a report on "Preliminary Concept of Establishing the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone" to the central government.
On December 22, 1982, the State Council issued the "Notice on the Establishment of the Shanghai Economic Zone Planning Office and the Shanxi Energy Base Planning Office", deciding to establish the Shanghai Economic Zone, which was the prototype of the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone. On March 22, 1983, the Shanghai Economic Zone Planning Office was formally established in Shanghai. At that time, the scope of the Shanghai Economic Zone was centered on Shanghai, including Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Nantong and Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing and other cities in the Yangtze River Delta. On August 18 of the same year, the Shanghai Economic Zone held a planning work meeting. In December 1984, Anhui, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces joined the Shanghai Economic Zone.
As the Shanghai Economic Zone continued to expand and economic cooperation within the zone gradually unfolded, Shanghai began to experience a decline in fiscal revenue and gradually developed urban diseases. Its status and role as the central city of the economic zone declined. Jiangsu and Zhejiang, on the other hand, saw their economic strength greatly enhanced due to the rapid development of township enterprises and private economy. The Shanghai Economic Zone was also unable to break the gap between the "economic zone" and the "administrative zone" and explore a new development path. On June 1, 1988, the State Planning Commission decided to abolish the Shanghai Economic Zone Planning Office, and the cooperative development between Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region was temporarily terminated.
Cooperation development suspension period As early as 1988, the famous sociologist Fei Xiaotong began to plan the future development of the Yangtze River Delta. He believed that "Shanghai, located in the Yangtze River Delta, is the most suitable. If Shanghai is the leader, Jiangsu and Zhejiang are the two wings, and the Yangtze River Basin is the backbone, accelerating the economic development of this region will drive the overall take-off." Afterwards, he met with the main leaders of the Yangtze River Delta region many times to make suggestions for the development of the Yangtze River Delta. On April 9, 1990, Fei Xiaotong submitted the "Preliminary Idea on the Establishment of the Yangtze River Delta Economic Development Zone" to the CCP Central Committee in the name of the China Democratic League, and the next day it was approved by Jiang Zemin, then CCP General Secretary.
In June 1992, the State Council held a symposium on the economic planning of the Yangtze River Delta and along the Yangtze River. The meeting pointed out that the Yangtze River Delta region includes Shanghai, Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Nantong in Jiangsu Province, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Zhoushan in Zhejiang Province, and 74 counties (cities) under their jurisdiction; in October of the same year, the 14th National Congress wrote into the report of the Party Congress that "taking the development and opening up of Shanghai Pudong as the leader, further opening up the cities along the Yangtze River, and quickly building Shanghai into one of the international economic, financial and trade centers, driving a new leap forward in the economy of the Yangtze River Delta and the entire Yangtze River Basin".
Planning for integrated development In December 2002, after Xi Jinping took office as the Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, he stated at the Second Plenary Session (Enlarged) of the 11th Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the CCP that he would "take the initiative to connect with Shanghai and actively participate in economic cooperation and exchanges in the Yangtze River Delta region." In January of the following year, Xi Jinping pointed out at the First Session of the 10th Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress that "with the Hangzhou Bay area as the forerunner, we will take the initiative to connect with Shanghai, cooperate in infrastructure and information construction, industrial division of labor, energy development and utilization, environmental protection and other aspects, and actively promote the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region's economy." This was the first time that the "integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region's economy" was proposed. This year is also known in the industry as the "first year of the Yangtze River Delta".