China’s national central city is the highest level of the urban system proposed in the “National Urban System Planning” compiled by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. China’s national central city is a city with leading, radiating, and distributing functions throughout the country. This function is manifested in politics, economy, culture, and foreign exchanges. The five major characteristics that China’s national central cities must have: one is the hub for China’s national organization of economic activities and resource allocation; the second is China’s national comprehensive transportation and information network hub; the third is China’s national science, education, culture, and innovation center; and the fourth is an international hub. Influence and competitiveness; Fifth, it is the “tip city” with the strongest comprehensive strength in China’s national urban system.
1. Selection criteria for China’s national central cities
“Whether it can be selected as a national central city in China depends on the city’s functions. The functions of China’s national central city are mainly to support, serve, radiate, and drive in the process of completing China’s national strategy.” The basis is for reference. National Urban System Planning (2006-2020)”, this document points out: China’s national central cities are the core cities of the national urban system and play important centers and hubs in my country’s finance, management, culture, and transportation. It also plays an important role in promoting international economic development and cultural exchanges. China’s national central cities should have the two basic characteristics of a nationwide centrality and a certain regional internationality.
Functions of China’s National Central City
1. Help the realization of China’s national strategy: For example, in the “One Belt One Road” strategy, China’s national central cities must play a core role in it;
2. Helping China to carry out industrial transformation and upgrading: From Made in China to Created in China, it is necessary to participate in the global industrial division of labor and improve the level of industrial division of labor;
3. Establish various open platforms: such as free trade zones, coordinate the construction of international exchange zones, and enhance China’s internationalization and international competitiveness;
4. Establish an international comprehensive transportation hub: enhance China’s status as an international gateway and hub, etc.
2. Which are the national central cities of China?
The currently identified China’s national central cities are Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, and Xi’an.
From the perspective of these cities, Beijing is the national political center, cultural center, international exchange center, and scientific and technological innovation center;
Shanghai is an international economic, financial, trade, and shipping center; Tianjin is the northern economic center, international shipping center and northern international logistics center;
Guangzhou is the provincial capital, the economic center of South China, and a comprehensive gateway city;
Chongqing is the economic center of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, an important modern manufacturing base in China, and a comprehensive transportation hub in the southwest region;
Chengdu is the western economic center, science and technology center, cultural and creative center, and foreign exchange center;
Wuhan is a central city in the central region, an important national industrial base, science and education base and comprehensive transportation hub in China;
Zhengzhou is an important central city in the central region and an important national comprehensive transportation hub in China.
Xi’an is an important central city in the western region, the core area of ”One Belt One Road”, and an important national scientific research, education, and industrial base in China.
At the same time, most of these cities are China’s national historical and cultural cities.
3. The process of determining the list of China’s national central cities
In 2005, the concept of “China’s National Central City” was proposed. The former Ministry of Construction (now the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development) proposed the concept of “China’s National Central City” when formulating the national urban system plan in accordance with the Urban Planning Law.
In 2007, the “National Urban System Planning (2006-2020)” submitted by the former Ministry of Construction to the State Council pointed out: China’s national central cities are the core cities of the national urban system. It plays an important role as a center and hub, and also plays an important role as a gateway in promoting international economic development and cultural exchanges. China’s national central cities should have the two basic characteristics of a nationwide centrality and a certain regional internationality.
In 2010, the “National Urban System Planning (2010-2020)” issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development clearly proposed the planning and positioning of the five major Chinese national central cities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chongqing).
In May 2016, China’s National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development jointly issued the “Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration Development Plan”, positioning Chengdu as China’s national central city. Chongqing and Chengdu have successively become highlands for urban development in the western inland areas.
On December 26, 2016, with the official approval of the State Council, the National Development and Reform Commission of China issued the “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan for Promoting the Rise of Central China”, planning to support Wuhan and Zhengzhou in building China’s national central cities.
In February 2018, the National Development and Reform Commission of China wrote in the “Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration Development Plan”: “With the construction of Xi’an China’s national central city and regionally important node cities as the carrier”, it euphemistically recognized another China’s national-level central city. Status.
So far, 9 cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, and Xi’an have been positioned as China’s national central cities.
4. Why is Shenzhen not selected as a national central city
In the competition for the national central city, Shenzhen does not seem to be a hot spot, which has surprised many people. As the first special economic zone after China’s reform and opening up, Shenzhen is also a city listed in a separate plan and a sub-provincial city. In recent years, its economic aggregate has become closer and closer to Guangzhou, and its growth rate has also surpassed Guangzhou. In 2015, the total GDP of Guangzhou was 1.81 trillion yuan, and that of Shenzhen was 1.75 trillion yuan. The year-on-year growth rates of the two were 8.3% and 8.9% respectively. In 2016, the total GDP of Guangzhou was 1.96 trillion yuan, and that of Shenzhen was 1.93 trillion yuan. The gap is getting smaller and smaller, and the growth rates are 8.2% and 9% respectively. Whether Shenzhen will be among the central cities of the country is a more complicated matter. Li Xun, vice president of China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, said that Shenzhen is an innovative city, and its vision is definitely not limited to Guangdong Province. It should have a more international perspective. In the future, it should continue to play its leading role in opening up and play the role of national economic center and technological innovation center. And the role of a high-quality livelihood happy city. “Can it become a national central city? There is a problem of coordination between cities.” Dean Li Guoping believes that Shenzhen is in fact a city at the same level as the national central city, but the time has not yet been announced. It should have already booked a “membership”. “In areas with relatively large economic and population densities, only one national central city is not enough. It requires superimposed radiation to play a role. Sometimes a region needs more than one national central city.”
5. The significance of China’s national central city
The significance of the region
The national central city focuses on the impact on the country, and it is the city in the highest position in China’s urban system proposed in the “National Urban System Planning Outline”. It plays an important role in the development of an export-oriented economy and the promotion of international cultural exchanges. This type of city may develop into a central city in finance, trade, culture, and management in Asia and the world; and it has the functions of leading, radiating, and distributing to the whole country. This function is manifested in politics, economy, and culture. The five functions that a national central city must have: comprehensive service function, industrial cluster function, logistics hub function, open highland function and humanistic cohesion function. The cultivation of central cities will promote regional economic and social development and narrow the gap in development levels between regions.
The significance of politics
The formation of ancient Chinese cities is consistent with the establishment of political centers. Cities are the regional political centers. With the rise of a number of emerging industrial and commercial cities, transportation hub cities, and resource-based cities, traditional cities have also entered the modernization start-up phase of modern transformation. The status of the regional political center has laid a good economic and social foundation for the start of urban modernization. However, as a node in China’s administrative network, urban planning, management, and construction are all government-mandatory and purposeful, and lack sufficient resources. The driving force for modernization. Therefore, the status of regional political center has played a dual role in promoting and restricting the initiation of urban modernization.
The meaning of economy
As an economic center with high ranking and strong energy, the central city is a base for large-scale social production. It has the characteristics of concentrated production, fine division of labor, and relatively complete industries and departments, forming a relatively independent and complex division of labor system. Its economic structure is a reflection of the regional economic structure. The direction, goal, focus, and speed of its economic structure change will affect the structure of the regional economy, and it is the vanguard of regional industrial upgrading. With the continuous development of China’s economy, the trend of regional economic integration has begun to emerge, and the economic ties between cities have been continuously strengthened. Central cities have gradually begun to play their leading role in regional economic development. And this kind of driving effect stems from the economic radiation power of the central city. In order to further promote the development of urban economy and regional economy, the national urban system plan clearly proposes to encourage qualified cities to develop into regional central cities. The national central city is the center of the regional economy, the link that establishes international economic ties, and also represents the international competitiveness of the city.
The meaning of culture
Cultural power is an important part of a city’s comprehensive strength and international competitiveness. Famous international metropolises, such as New York, London, and Tokyo, are not only the global economic center cities, the distribution centers of international capital, commodities, technology, and information, but also the center cities of international cultural exchanges. Dissemination and diffusion of the network terminal. Cultural exchanges can not only provide strong spiritual power and intellectual support for urban economic construction, but also drive and promote the development of cultural industries, becoming an important engine and booster for urban economic development.
International significance
National central cities refer to major cities that have important national influence in the fields of economy, politics, culture, and society and can represent their country in participating in international competition. It is the representative of a country with the strongest overall strength, concentration, radiation, and driving ability. In terms of main characteristics, the national central city is a representative of the country’s participation in international division of labor, cooperation and competition, the center of economic activity organization and resource allocation in the country or the country’s main economic region, the national science, technology and cultural innovation center, and the country’s comprehensive transportation and information The network hub plays an important role in allocating national resources, leading economic and social development, and connecting domestic and foreign countries. The construction and development of national central cities is not only related to the consolidation and promotion of the city’s own status, directly affecting the coordinated development of the region, but also related to the overall situation of the country’s economic and social development, and the country’s international competitiveness and international status.
