Action plan on the Silk Road Economic Belt – Part 5

VI. China's Regions in Pursuing Opening-Up

六、中国各地方开放态势

In advancing the Belt and Road Initiative, China will fully leverage the comparative advantages of its various regions, adopt a proactive strategy of further opening-up, strengthen interaction and cooperation among the eastern, western and central regions, and comprehensively improve the openness of the Chinese economy.

推进“一带一路”建设，中国将充分发挥国内各地区比较优势，实行更加积极主动的开放战略，加强东中西互动合作，全面提升开放型经济水平。

Northwestern and northeastern regions. We should make good use of Xinjiang's geographic advantages and its role as a window of westward opening-up to deepen communication and cooperation with Central, South and West Asian countries, make it a key transportation, trade, logistics, culture, science and education center, and a core area on the Silk Road Economic Belt. We should give full scope to the economic and cultural strengths of Shaanxi and Gansu provinces and the ethnic and cultural advantages of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region and Qinghai province, build Xi'an into a new focus of reform and opening-up in China's interior, speed up the development and opening-up of cities such as Lanzhou and Xining, and advance the building of the Ningxia Inland Opening-up Pilot Economic Zone with the goal of creating strategic channels, trade and logistics hubs and key bases for industrial and cultural exchanges opening to Central, South and West Asian countries. We should give full play to Inner Mongolia's proximity to Mongolia and Russia, improve the railway links connecting Heilongjiang province with Russia and the regional railway network, strengthen cooperation between China's Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces and Russia's Far East region on sea-land multimodal transport, and advance the construction of an Eurasian high-speed transport corridor linking Beijing and Moscow with the goal of building key windows opening to the north.

西北、东北地区。发挥新疆独特的区位优势和向西开放重要窗口作用，深化与中亚、南亚、西亚等国家交流合作，形成丝绸之路经济带上重要的交通枢纽、商贸物流和文化科教中心，打造丝绸之路经济带核心区。发挥陕西、甘肃综合经济文化和宁夏、青海民族人文优势，打造西安内陆型改革开放新高地，加快兰州、西宁开发开放，推进宁夏内陆开放型经济试验区建设，形成面向中亚、南亚、西亚国家的通道、商贸物流枢纽、重要产业和人文交流基地。发挥内蒙古联通俄蒙的区位优势，完善黑龙江对俄铁路通道和区域铁路网，以及黑龙江、吉林、辽宁与俄远东地区陆海联运合作，推进构建北京－莫斯科欧亚高速运输走廊，建设向北开放的重要窗口。

Southwestern region. We should give full play to the unique advantage of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region as a neighbor of ASEAN countries, speed up the opening-up and development of the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone and the Pearl River-Xijiang Economic Zone, build an international corridor opening to the ASEAN region, create new strategic anchors for the opening-up and development of the southwest and mid-south regions of China, and form an important gateway connecting the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. We should make good use of the geographic advantage of Yunnan province, advance the construction of an international transport corridor connecting China with neighboring countries, develop a new highlight of economic cooperation in the Greater Mekong Subregion, and make the region a pivot of China's opening-up to South and Southeast Asia. We should promote the border trade and tourism and culture cooperation between Tibet autonomous region and neighboring countries such as Nepal.

西南地区。发挥广西与东盟国家陆海相邻的独特优势，加快北部湾经济区和珠江－西江经济带开放发展，构建面向东盟区域的国际通道，打造西南、中南地区开放发展新的战略支点，形成21世纪海上丝绸之路与丝绸之路经济带有机衔接的重要门户。发挥云南区位优势，推进与周边国家的国际运输通道建设，打造大湄公河次区域经济合作新高地，建设成为面向南亚、东南亚的辐射中心。推进西藏与尼泊尔等国家边境贸易和旅游文化合作。

Coastal regions, and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. We should leverage the strengths of the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, west coast of the Taiwan Straits, Bohai Rim, and other areas with economic zones boasting a high level of openness, robust economic strengths and strong catalytic role, speed up the development of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, and support Fujian province in becoming a core area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. We should give full scope to the role of Qianhai (Shenzhen), Nansha (Guangzhou), Hengqin (Zhuhai) and Pingtan (Fujian) in opening-up and cooperation, deepen their cooperation with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and help to build the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Big Bay Area. We should promote the development of the Zhejiang Marine Economy Development Demonstration Zone, Fujian Marine Economic Pilot Zone and Zhoushan Archipelago New Area, and further open Hainan province as an international tourism island. We should strengthen the port construction of coastal cities such as Shanghai, Tianjin, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhanjiang, Shantou, Qingdao, Yantai, Dalian, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Haikou and Sanya, and strengthen the functions of international hub airports such as Shanghai and Guangzhou. We should use opening-up to motivate these areas to carry out deeper reform, create new systems and mechanisms of open economy, step up scientific and technological innovation, develop new advantages for participating in and leading international cooperation and competition, and become the pacesetter and main force in the Belt and Road Initiative, particularly the building of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. We should leverage the unique role of overseas Chinese and the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, and encourage them to participate in and contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative. We should also make proper arrangements for the Taiwan region to be part of this effort.

沿海和港澳台地区。利用长三角、珠三角、海峡西岸、环渤海等经济区开放程度高、经济实力强、辐射带动作用大的优势，加快推进中国（上海）自由贸易试验区建设，支持福建建设21世纪海上丝绸之路核心区。充分发挥深圳前海、广州南沙、珠海横琴、福建平潭等开放合作区作用，深化与港澳台合作，打造粤港澳大湾区。推进浙江海洋经济发展示范区、福建海峡蓝色经济试验区和舟山群岛新区建设，加大海南国际旅游岛开发开放力度。加强上海、天津、宁波－舟山、广州、深圳、湛江、汕头、青岛、烟台、大连、福州、厦门、泉州、海口、三亚等沿海城市港口建设，强化上海、广州等国际枢纽机场功能。以扩大开放倒逼深层次改革，创新开放型经济体制机制，加大科技创新力度，形成参与和引领国际合作竞争新优势，成为“一带一路”特别是21世纪海上丝绸之路建设的排头兵和主力军。发挥海外侨胞以及香港、澳门特别行政区独特优势作用，积极参与和助力“一带一路”建设。为台湾地区参与“一带一路”建设作出妥善安排。

Inland regions. We should make use of the advantages of inland regions, including a vast landmass, rich human resources and a strong industrial foundation, focus on such key regions as the city clusters along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, around Chengdu and Chongqing, in central Henan province, around Hohhot, Baotou, Erdos and Yulin, and around Harbin and Changchun to propel regional interaction and cooperation and industrial concentration. We should build Chongqing into an important pivot for developing and opening up the western region, and make Chengdu, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Changsha, Nanchang and Hefei leading areas of opening-up in the inland regions. We should accelerate cooperation between regions on the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River and their counterparts along Russia's Volga River. We should set up coordination mechanisms in terms of railway transport and port customs clearance for the China-Europe corridor, cultivate the brand of "China-Europe freight trains," and construct a cross-border transport corridor connecting the eastern, central and western regions. We should support inland cities such as Zhengzhou and Xi'an in building airports and international land ports, strengthen customs clearance cooperation between inland ports and ports in the coastal and border regions, and launch pilot e-commerce services for cross-border trade. We should optimize the layout of special customs oversight areas, develop new models of processing trade.

内陆地区。利用内陆纵深广阔、人力资源丰富、产业基础较好优势，依托长江中游城市群、成渝城市群、中原城市群、呼包鄂榆城市群、哈长城市群等重点区域，推动区域互动合作和产业集聚发展，打造重庆西部开发开放重要支撑和成都、郑州、武汉、长沙、南昌、合肥等内陆开放型经济高地。加快推动长江中上游地区和俄罗斯伏尔加河沿岸联邦区的合作。建立中欧通道铁路运输、口岸通关协调机制，打造“中欧班列”品牌，建设沟通境内外、连接东中西的运输通道。支持郑州、西安等内陆城市建设航空港、国际陆港，加强内陆口岸与沿海、沿边口岸通关合作，开展跨境贸易电子商务服务试点。优化海关特殊监管区域布局，创新加工贸易模式，深化与沿线国家的产业合作。