Coordinated regional development: A core engine for China's economic growth

Editor's Note: Bao Shujun is researcher of International Cooperation Center of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The article reflects the author's views, and not necessarily those of CGTN. It is part of the Path to Prosperity commentary series, which unpacks the key drivers of Chinese modernization — from high-level opening-up to new quality productive forces and green development.

Promoting coordinated regional development is both an integral part of building a modern economic system and an objective requirement for achieving high-quality economic and social development nationwide. Given China's vast territory and large population, with significant disparities in regional development conditions, the task of achieving regional coordination remains highly challenging. As China shifts from high-speed growth to high-quality development, new demands have emerged for coordinated regional development. It's important to coordinate the implementation of regional development strategies to promote interconnected and integrated development of regions and enhance their vitality.

Recent trends suggest that China is intensifying efforts to align regional development with national strategies. By leveraging the combined effects of its coordinated regional development strategy, major regional strategies, and the functional zoning strategy, the government is laying the groundwork for a more integrated and dynamic spatial economy. The emphasis is no longer on uniformity but on enabling each region to develop along its own strengths, which is a recognition that development can be differentiated.

Rather than following a rigid formula, China encourages provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions to capitalize on their comparative advantages, which allows for different complementary economic roles. This regionally responsive model is designed to enhance innovation, boost connectivity between cities and rural areas, as well as elevate overall national competitiveness. In practice, this also means stimulating agglomeration effects in key areas while also supporting technological innovation to lagging regions. This is a strategy that offers long-term dividends.

Leading regions are being positioned as role models for high-quality growth, and their experiences are informing national policy. This interaction is already beginning to reshape China's development landscape.

On the strategic level, China continues to push forward the major regional initiatives: Western Development, Northeast Revitalization, the Rise of Central China, and the continued leadership of the eastern region. Each of these efforts carries different priorities, but together they reflect the country's determination to rebalance opportunity.

There are already signs of progress. The central and western regions have steadily increased their share of national output, followed by faster income growth among local residents. According to the National Bureau of Statistics' preliminary outlines for 2024, Western China's GDP reached approximately 28.74 trillion yuan ($4 trillion), marking a 5.2 percent year-on-year increase, while the eastern region saw its GDP rise to 70.24 trillion yuan, growing at 5.0 percent. Meanwhile, the northeast continues to serve as a vital food security base while gradually modernizing its industrial structure. The eastern region, which is driven by innovation and global integration, remains a key engine of national transformation.

Inter-regional cooperation is deepening, too. There's a growing policy emphasis on east-west complementarity, north-south coordination, and land-sea integration. More systemic barriers to cross-regional resource allocation are being addressed. From infrastructure to institutional connectivity, the policy toolkit reflects China's long view: one that seeks not just convergence, but synergy as well. In a country as large and complex as China, this level of coordination is no small achievement.

Simultaneously, China continues to push for new growth poles and development corridors. What's notable is China's ability to embed multiple regional strategies within a unified development narrative. For instance, the national functional zoning plan provides regions with a clear sense of their role in the broader economic architecture. This clarity enables better policy alignment and more coherent regional integration.

There are three powerhouses for coordinated regional development, Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region, Yangtze River Delta and Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region is emerging as a model zone for Chinese-style modernization, and the Yangtze River Delta is continuing to lead in economic innovation. Meanwhile, the Greater Bay Area is evolving into a global innovation hub. By 2024, the Greater Bay Area's total economic output exceeded 14 trillion yuan, accounting for nearly one‑ninth of China's GDP while occupying just 0.6 percent of its landmass, which is similar to the Tokyo Bay Area and significantly ahead of both the New York and San Francisco Bay Areas. In 2024, the GBA spent approximately 460 billion yuan on R&D—about 3.4 percent of its regional GDP. The area now boasts over 1.2 million R&D personnel, with global leaders like DJI (≈ 70% global drone market share) and Royole (first mass‑produced flexible screens) emerging locally.

There are also two regional strategies about the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. Significant results have already been achieved. The ecological environment in the Yangtze River Economic Belt has improved notably. The ecological quality of the Yellow River Basin has undergone a turning point, the capacity to safeguard national food and energy security has been enhanced, and new breakthroughs have been achieved in cultural inheritance and development.

A similar experimentation is visible in Hainan. China is preparing for full customs clearance in the Hainan Free Trade Port, and the province is becoming a laboratory for institutional reform and industrial innovation. Policies are being fast-tracked to build a diversified and open economy that fits Hainan's unique role in China's development ecosystem.