Eastern Regions Optimized in Development

It was a major strategic move of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to further promote the coordinated development of regional economies. To make the eastern region take the lead in the development is to give play to the important guiding and supporting role of the eastern region in the national economic development, to participate in international cooperation and competition at a higher level, to take the lead in Reform and Opening-up, and to transform the economic development mode, adjust the economic structure and innovate independently to be at the forefront of the country. Focus on improving scientific and technological innovation capabilities, fostering new advantages in industrial competition, advancing system and mechanism innovation, improving the level of open economy, accelerating the integration of urban and rural development, strengthening the construction of ecological civilization, exploring ways and accumulating experience at the forefront of development, and providing examples and experience for other regions. At the beginning of Reform and Opening-up, Deng Xiaoping repeatedly emphasized that “let some people and some regions get rich first” and gradually achieve common prosperity through the method of helping those who get rich later.

This conclusion provides the ideological and theoretical basis for the proposal and implementation of “the east takes the lead in development” strategic deployment. With the continuous deepening of Reform and Opening-up, in order to further play the leading role of the eastern region in economic development, the Seventeenth CPC National Congress pointed out, “It is necessary to make better use of the important role of the special economic zones, Shanghai Pudong New District, and Tianjin’s Binhai New District in reform, opening-up and independent innovation” to drive and support the economic development of other regions and promote regional coordinated development. The Seventeenth CPC National Congress combined the development of the eastern region with the optimization of the land development, encouraged the eastern region to drive and help the development of the central and western regions, gave better play to the eastern region’s important role in Reform and Opening-up as well as independent innovation, and continuously promote the implementation of the strategy of making the eastern region to take the lead in development.The Eighteeneh CPC National Congress emphasized to continue to implement the overall strategy of regional development and give full play to the comparative advantages of various regions. Among them, to actively support the development of the eastern region first was proposed. The Nineteenth CPC National Congress further pointed out in the regional coordinated development strategy that “innovation leads the eastern region to take the lead in achieving optimized development”.