Economic reform, open-door policy and changes in spatial development patterns in China

摘要

The study profiles and explains the significant changes that have taken place in China’s spatial development patterns since the inception of its economic reform and opening two decades ago. Principal component analysis is used to delineate spatial patterns. The analyses show that prior to the reform China’s spatial development pattern was characterized by the dominance of the three municipalities and the Northeast, as well as by both the coast-interior and the north-south disparities. Northern provinces were generally more industrialized and economically powerful than the southern ones. After two decades of reform, regional development has become multi-centered with South China, the Yangtze Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin area being the three most important regions of the country. The coastal provinces as a whole rose to prominence on China’s economic map while the Northeast has diminished its clout. The coast-interior gap not only remains but may have widened. The north-south disparity also still exists but there has been a role reversal with the south now in the lead position. Virtually all inland provinces now find themselves at or near the low end of the development spectrum. We argue that the major reason for the recent shifts in Chinese space economy is the spatially differentiated economic growth resulted from the reform and open door policy and from the new, uneven development strategy adopted by the Chinese government. The paper discusses four specific factors that have reshaped China’s spatial development patterns.