Assessing Interregional Differentiation in China

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problems of differentiation in the development of regions. Interregional disproportions in development can be traced in many countries, including China and Russia. The topic of assessing inter-regional differentiation and improving the territorial regional policy is relevant. The authors postulate the idea that in order to reduce inter-regionaldifferentiation, targeted measures of state economic policy should be applied, in particular, this should be included in regional strategic documents. The purpose of the study is to assess inter-regional differentiation in China based on comparative analysis and the index method (calculation of the Theil index, standard deviation, coefficient of variation). Research methods: analysis and synthesis, comparative and economic-statistical analysis. The object of the study is macroeconomic indicators (GRP, GRP per capita, disposable income per capita) in the context of the provinces of the PRC for the period from 2001 to 2020. The article analyzes the dynamics of the level of differentiation of China’s regional development and identifies the advantages and disadvantages of the implemented regional policies to reduce the asymmetry of regions. Particular attention is paid to the fragmentation and lack of coordination of existing regional policies in China. The necessity of transforming the current regional policy and building a new unified regional policy is revealed.