4. We will promote balanced economic development among regions, reduce the gap in their development and improve distribution of the production forces among them.

1) We will continue to implement the strategy of large-scale development of the western region, start construction on a number of key infrastructure projects, and consolidate progress in key ecological projects, such as returning farmland to forests and grazing land to grassland. We will encourage coastal areas to increase their one-to-one assistance to designated areas in the western region, eastern and western regions to jointly establish industrial zones, and the east to relocate industries to the west. We will effectively implement policies and measures to support economic and social development of Chongqing, Tibet, Ningxia, Xinjiang and Tibetan ethnic areas in some provinces including Qinghai. Key areas will be encouraged to accelerate economic development. We will speedily open up border areas wider.

2) Northeast China and other old industrial bases will be encouraged to deepen reform and make their economies more open. They need to accelerate technological transformation and upgrading in traditional industries, promote development of grain-producing bases and farming and ranching centers, invigorate equipment manufacturing, develop industries with local advantages, and improve transportation infrastructure. We will complete specification of a second group of cities dependent on now-depleted resources, and launch projects to help resource-dependent cities create employment opportunities, comprehensively utilize resources and develop alternative industries.

3) We will give stronger support to the central region to help it upgrade industrial structure and deepen reform. While effectively implementing current policies designed for the region, we will accelerate development of bases for grain production, energy resources, raw materials, modern equipment manufacturing and high technologies, plus a system of integrated transportation hubs.

4) The eastern region will be encouraged to accelerate economic transformation, industrial upgrading and institutional innovation. It should give priority to developing modern services, the advanced equipment manufacturing and new- and high-tech industries, and vigorously develop the marine economy to create new competitive advantages.

5) We will give more support to old revolutionary areas, ethnic minority areas, border areas and poor areas to help them develop so that people there can share in the fruits of reform and development.

6) We will promote rational and progressive movement of factors of production between regions and accelerate cross-region economic integration. We will support local governments in responding to the impact of external events in light of their conditions, developing distinctive industries with local advantages and fostering new areas of economic growth.

7) We will formulate and implement a plan for national development priority zones, and lay out a policy for regulating them differently and a procedure for using different criteria to assess their performance.