Special Economic Zones and Coastal Cities

Since 1978, when it decided to carry out economic reform, the Chinese government has begun to implement a policy of opening-up policy. From 1980, China set up five Special Economic Zones in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou in Guangdong province, Xiamen of Fujian province, and the Hainan province. In 1984, 14 coastal cities were further opened up, including Dalian, Qinghuangdao, Tianjin, Yantan, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Nantong, Shanghai, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Zhanjiang, and Beihai. After 1985, the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Minnan Delta, Shangdong Peninsula, Hebei and Guangxi provinces become economic opening-up zones and form a coastal economic opening-up belt. In 1990, the government decided to open and develop the new Pudong district in Shanghai. Another group of cities along the Yangtze River have also been opened up, forming a Yangtze economic opening-up belt led by Pudong. Since 1992, the government further opened all provincial capital cities, autonomous region centres and some frontier cities. In some big and medium-sized cities, 15 tax-free zones, 49 national economic and technological development zones, and 53 hi-tech development zones have been established. These regions have become the window and bridge linking the inland China to the outside world in developing export-oriented economy, generating foreign currency income by export and introducing advanced technology.