Spatial Structure and Regional Development in China

Abstract

During the last two decades, China economy has continually attained high economic growth. As a result, the influences of China on the global economy have been rapidly increased, while the disparity of regional development has become one of the crucial topics for not only academic researchers but also policy planners. In the literature of the studies on regional disparity in China, many researchers have been investigating not only how large this kind of regional disparity is, but also whether it becomes to diverge or converge. But, it should be noted, however, that there are very few studies from the aspect of Space economy. More specifically, even if one region is developing with the assumption that the development of other region is still remained, the regional economic system may change, and hence, this change may also give an impact on the economic activity of other regions through the interregional transactions among various industries. In order to clarify the above-stated regional development problems in China particularly from the spatial aspects, Institute of Developing Economies (IDE), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and State Information Center (SIC) in China, launched in 2001 a joint research project on the compilation on Interregional Input-Output Model for China, and this result has published as Multi-regional Input-Output Model for China 2000 from IDE-JETRO in 2003. As an application of this input-output model, one year research project was organized in IDE in 2003 to explore the regional development problems from the spatial aspects in collaboration with SIC. Eventually, our research project finally published the book entitled Spatial Structure and Regional Development in China: Interregional Input-Output App oach in 2004, as IDE Development Perspective Series No. 5, which was edited by N. Okamoto and T. Ihara. This book has the following two aims: one is to pay attentions to the recent spatial structure and regional development in China, and the other is to show how to apply the most beneficial interregional input-output analysis to the various regional problems in China. r Therefore, in this paper, we are to clarify the implications of our empirically derived fact-findings on regional disparity or spatial linkages in China. In addition, we intend to explain the qualifications and limitations of an ordinary input-output model, and we also show how to utilize an interregional input-output approach more effectively from a policy-oriented viewpoint.