Greater Pearl River Delta: Historical Evolution towards a Global City-Region

The GBA, Yangtze River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and Chengdu-Chongqing area operate as four supporting points for the diamond-shaped spatial structure, along with a number of provincial capitals in the central and western regions as key nodes at the national scale. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong corridor functions as the principal axis in stimulating the development of surrounding areas at the regional scale. The conclusions are as follows: 1) Multi-scalar spatial linkages initiated by high-tech industries in the GBA are unevenly concentrated in economically advanced regions. Policy implications for promoting the new development paradigm by advancing internal circulation are summarized from the research findings. This study focused particularly on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), which has been deeply embedded in external circulation since China's economic reform and opening-up, portraying the multi-scalar spatial linkages, including intra-regional and extra-regional linkages (for example, driving the development of the outer ring of Guangdong Province, the pan-Pearl River Delta region, and China), initiated by high-tech industries containing both strategic pillar industries (for example, electronics, automobile, home appliances) and strategic emerging industries (for example, biotechnology, robotics, new materials). Extant literature, however, pays inadequate attention to how the spatial pattern of high-tech industries in key urban agglomerations drive internal circulation in China and its policy implications. Against this backdrop, urban agglomerations shoulder responsibilities of performing as growth poles for leading internal circulation as well as strategic pivots for dual circulations. China's regional development and spatial distribution of industries are moving towards a new development paradigm championed by internal circulation as well as mutual promotion between internal and external circulations.

Greater Pearl River Delta: Historical Evolution towards a Global City-Region