Yangtze River driving urbanization in Central China

In order to support the construction of the Yangtze economic belt, which aims to promote better industrial cooperation and a more effective allocation of resources between regions across the river, the Chinese government has recently developed a strategy to implement within urban clusters along the river. This includes areas around Wuhan in Hubei and the cluster of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan around Poyang Lake in Jiangxi. Local governments are encouraged to cooperate and to implement competitive and interconnected urban and industrial clusters, as well as to develop a modern agricultural system.

This development plan is further included in the 2004 national economic strategy, entitled the “Rise of Central China” (中部崛起计划), which intends to boost the central regions’ economy with the implementation of this new method of urbanization.