According to the draft of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), based on the overall strategy of regional development and led by "Three Major Strategies", China will build north-south and east-west intersecting economic belts centered on the economic belts along the coastlines, the Yangtze River and major transportation routes, in order to cultivate a batch of city clusters and growth poles that facilitate the development of surrounding areas.

Premier Li Keqiang also pointed out in the Government Work Report this year that in 2016 China will accelerate development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Intersecting economic belts will connect economic growth poles to facilitate the development of surrounding areas as much as possible. It is a significant national strategy that is crucial to promoting regional development as well as the integration of urban and rural development.

In recent years, development has become unbalanced. For instance, the economic growth rates of the northeast region and some big resourceful provinces have declined sharply recently.

The government is aware of this and started to take measures. The 13th Five-Year Plan period is a key stage in propelling the overall strategy of coordinated regional development in an all round way.

(China Daily 03/17/2016 page8)