5. We will implement the regional development plan and policy and make development among different regions more balanced.
1) The master plan for the large-scale development of the western region in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan period will be implemented, and work will begin on a number of key projects. Follow-up policies will be implemented to build on the results of previous efforts to return farmland to forests, policy measures for returning livestock pastures to grasslands will be improved and work will continue on key ecological projects such as those to protect virgin forests, develop the system of shelterbelts and control the spread of stony deserts and desertification. In addition, we will promote the accelerated development of industries to take advantage of local characteristics and strengths and of key development areas. We will support the establishment of permanent, stable channels to fund development of the region. We will formulate and implement policy measures to promote economic and social development in economically underdeveloped regions.
2) We will implement the plan to revitalize northeast China, and continue to reform enterprises and increase the degree of openness to other areas of the country and the outside world. We will improve the policy for supporting the development of the equipment manufacturing industry, accelerate the development of grain production bases, continue to support the transformation of the economies of regions once dependent on resources that are now depleted and accelerate improvement in coalmining areas plagued by sinkholes and conditions in shantytowns.
3) We will formulate and implement the plan to boost development of the central region, which calls for following the policy for eastern China for some parts of the region and the policy for western China for other parts of the region. We will work out guidelines for encouraging industries to transfer into the region and for the reform and development of clusters of cities, and support efforts to accelerate the program to develop three different kinds of production bases and integrated transportation hubs in the region.
4) We will carry out regional development plans for key areas in the eastern region such as the Yangtze Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, help the Pearl River Delta increase exchange and cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao, and give full play to the important role of the special economic zones, the Pudong New Area of Shanghai and the Binhai New Area of Tianjin in reform and opening up and in independent innovation.
5) Transfer payments from the state will be increased for underdeveloped areas, and strong support will be provided to boost economic and social development in old revolutionary areas, ethnic minority areas, border areas and economically depressed areas.
6) Formulation of the plan for national priority development zones will be completed, formulation of corresponding provincial-level plans will be accelerated and related policies, laws and regulations and a performance evaluation system will be formulated.
7) A development plan defining an appropriate scale and distribution of cities will be compiled to promote sound progress in urbanization.
8) Development of the marine economy will be accelerated.