Regional development in China : a Canadian perspective

Abstract

Regional economic development is a concern for many countries, as inequality and discrepancy in the national economy can lead to civil unrest and hinder further growth of the country as a whole. While each national government has the jurisdiction to oversee reductions in regional inequality, there is the potential for exchanging ideas with other nations that have similar regional issues.

Western China has not performed as well as the coastal cities of China. Now the Chinese government has outlined a plan to address regional economic issues in Western China; however there is reason to believe this will not adequately solve the division between East and West China.

The Canadian Government has used the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to implement programs designed to reduce regional economic inequality within Canada. Western China might use a similar model; however this would be difficult given the current political situation in the country. Given this reality it is unlikely that an ACOA styled agency can be developed by CIDA in Western China.