CRI听力:China's Central Triangle to Rise

The Central Triangle consists of city clusters in three provinces, namely, Wuhan City Circle in Hubei, the Changzhutan City Cluster in Hunan, and the Poyang Lake Ecological Economic Zone in Jiangxi. The area has a population of about 100 million and covers 210,000 square kilometers-the size of the U.S. state of Minnesota.

Wei Houkai, Deputy Director of the Urban Development and Environment Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, says rising urban clusters in the area have made the Central Triangle possible.

"Competition among different regions is actually a race among urban clusters in each region. If a region wants to be competitive, it has to have strong city clusters in it."

Since the country's reform and opening up three decades ago, there have been three city clusters in China, including the Yangtze River Delta in the East with Shanghai as its center; the Pearl River Delta mainly in southern China's Guangdong Province; and the Jing-Jin-Ji Area in the north, centered around Beijing.

Now the central part of China is ready to rise. Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi are neighboring provinces in inland China.

Traditionally praised as the "land of fish and rice," they are the country's major grain production areas and a sensitive part of the aquatic ecosystem. In addition to natural resources, they also have their own industrial advantages.

Ye Qing, Deputy Director of Hubei's Bureau of Statistics, elaborates.

"The three urban clusters account for a large part of the economy in their provinces. Wuhan has strong steel and auto industries, Changsha has growing construction and machinery industries, and Nanchang's new energy industry is good."

Zhu Xiang is Deputy General Manager of China Gearbox Machinery & Equipment Company in Zhuzhou, a major city in the Changzhutan city cluster in Hunan Province. His company has been working with steel manufacturers in Hubei and processing factories in Jiangxi, providing a good example of cooperation in the Central Triangle.

"The concept of the Central Triangle is good news for enterprises. Being neighbors means we have relatively low costs in transport and logistics, and we can use what the other two are good at. We hope the three can deepen their integration, lower the barriers for business, and provide favorable policies and a fair competition environment."

Xie Zilong, an NPC Deputy and President of Laobaixing Drug Stores headquartered in Changsha, capital of Hunan, explains the opportunities brought by the rise of Central Triangle.

"These two neighbor provinces are quite similar to us in terms of economic level and development and culture. We have placed great hope in their markets. The closer we work together, the more all of us can benefit."

Earlier this year, the three provinces deepened their cooperation, starting with transportation infrastructure and tourism. Even more is expected from the Central Triangle's as the new hub for China's economic activity.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi.