Foreword 

As the pioneer of the reform and opening-up and an important economic hub of China, the Pearl River Delta has played a remarkable leading role and had an important strategic status in the overall effort of China to pursue economic and social development and carry on the reform and opening-up. Since the introduction of the reform and opening-up policy, under the correct leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the Pearl River Delta, through carrying out drastic reforms, taking a lead in opening up to the outside world, and striving ambitiously for progress, has achieved historic breakthroughs in economic and social development and made great contribution to the nationwide reform and opening-up and the socialist modernization drive. At present, profound changes are taking place in the economic situations at home and abroad, and the Pearl River Delta is at the crucial point for transforming its economic structure and development pattern. This region faces both rigorous challenges and great opportunities in its further development. On the eve of the 30^thanniversary of the reform and opening-up, we have formulated this outline of the program for the reform and development of the Pearl River Delta with an eye to the broader national strategy and long-term development plan of the country, in order that the Pearl River Delta can add or create new advantages, reach a new level of development, and further play its leading and exemplary role for the whole country.  

Geographically, this outline focuses on Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Jiangmen, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Huizhou, and Zhaoqing, reaching out to the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region. Related contents of close cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao are also included. The period covered by the outline spans from the present to 2020.  

This outline shall serve as the program of action for the reform and development of today and a period to come and the basis for compiling relevant specialized plans in the Pearl River Delta.  

I. Great Significance of Accelerating the Reform and Development in the Pearl River Delta 

1. Achievements of the Reform and Development in the Past 30 Years  

Over the past 30 years since the beginning of the reform and opening-up, by serving as the “experimental field” of the reform, the Pearl River Delta took a lead in the market-oriented reform and established a framework of socialist market economy at a rather early stage, having consequently become the region with the highest marketization level and the most complete market system throughout China.  By taking advantage of its geographical vicinity with Hong Kong and Macao and seizing the historic opportunities provided by the international industrial transfer and productive factors reconfiguration, the region took the lead to establish an export-oriented economic system and become a region with the highest portion of export in its economy and an important window for China’s opening-up ; The region propelled Guangdong Province‘s transformation from an originally backward large agricultural province into the No. 1 economic province of the country, with its economic aggregates surpassing those of three of the “Four Asian Tigers”, namely, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore one after another, which laid a solid foundation for building a world-class manufacturing base here, and became an engine for China’s economic and social development. With highly concentrated population and economic factors, rapid urbanization as well as rather complete infrastructure, a cluster of modernized cities with features special to South China has taken shape in this region, making this region one of the three major zones of urban concentration. Here, the income levels for both urban and rural citizens have greatly improved, the social insurance system has preliminarily formed for both urban and rural areas, various social undertakings including education, science and technology, culture, health and sports have developed very fast, and the public service system has basically come into existence. Now the Pearl River Delta stands at a new and higher historic starting point. The great achievements of the reform and development in the Pearl River Delta justifiably testifies that development is of overriding importance and that reform and opening-up are indispensable for building the socialism with Chinese characteristics and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.  

2. Challenges and Opportunities 

Along with the further development of economic globalization and regional economic integration, especially against the current backdrop where the international financial crisis has been spreading incessantly with an increasingly deepening impact on real economy, the economic development of the Pearl River Delta has suffered serious setbacks. Due to the interweaving of impact of the international financial crisis with the unresovled structural imbalance, of the drastic decrease of overseas demand with redundant capacities of certain industries, and of violent fluctuation of raw materials prices with the rather high degree of dependence on international markets, the economy in the region now sees greater difficulties and some deep-rooted conflicts and problems have become more prominent. Such conflicts and problems mainly include: The overall industrial level is low, the value added to the products is not much, the trade structure is unreasonable, the innovative capability is insufficient, and the overall competitiveness is not strong; the land has been excessively developed, the ability to guarantee energy and resources supply is inadequate, the problem of environmental pollution becomes prominent, the constraints of resources and environment are outstanding, and the traditional pattern of development is insustainable; the imbalance of development still exists between the urban and rural areas and among different regions, the distribution of production forces is not rational, and the use of space is not efficient; the social undertakings remain relatively backward, and the levels of human resources development,public services and the cultural soft strength need to be further improved; the reform of the government and social administration systems are still strenuous, and the pre-breakthrough reforms face ever more challenging difficulties. On the other hand, the Pearl River Delta faces great opportunities: The trend of international industries transfer to the Asian-Pacific region will not change, the regional economic cooperation and exchange in Asia is on the upswing, and the formation of the China-ASEAN free trade zone is picking up its speed; China is still in a stage of important strategic opportunities, the process of industrialization, informatization, urbanization, marketization, and internationalization is developing further, the economic integration among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao is accelerating, and there are strong potentials for economic development; and especially, thanks to its development in the past 30 years, a solid material foundation has been forged in the Pearl River Delta with remarkably enhanced economic strength and competitiveness in regional economy. All these have provided advantageous conditions and vast room for speeding up the reform and development of the Pearl River Delta.  

3. Great Significance 

In this new situation, to encourage the Peal River Delta to accelerate its reform and development, make full use of its advantages, focus on the resolution of prominent problems, turn pressures into impetuses and challenges into opportunities, reduce the adverse effects of the international financial crisis to a minimum degree, and speed up the sound and fast economic and social development not only is the necessary choice of the region in order to transform its economic development pattern, but also meet the urgent need of the country to sustain its current economic growth and the strategic need to achieve scientific development. To accelerate the reform and development of the Pearl River Delta is conducive to pursuing the strategic adjustment of the economic structure of the region and adding to the momentum and vitality of its economic development; elevating China’s comprehensive strength, international competitiveness, and ability to resist international risks so as to better participate in international cooperation and competition; influencing and promoting the economic development in the peripheral areas of the Pearl River Delta and the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region so as to facilitate the formation of a new pattern of regional economic development characterized by mutual complementation with each other’s advantages and interaction for common progress; implementing the “One country, two systems” guideline to maintain the long-term stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and Macao; furthering the innovation of systems and mechanisms to explore new roads and provide new experience for building scientific development systems and mechanisms.  

II. General Requirements and Developmental Goals 

1. Guiding Ideas 

Holding high the great banner of the socialism with Chinese characteristics, following the guidance of the 

Deng          Xiaoping        Theory       and        the       important 

“Three-represents” thought, the region will implement the scientific outlook on development, pursue further ideological liberation, carry on the reform and opening-up, and stive to become the bellwether in exercising the scientific outlook on development. The region will concentrate on building a modern industrial system and speeding up the transformation of its development pattern to take a lead in building a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly society; promoting scientific and technological progresses and strengthening the abilities of independent innovation to take a lead in developing an innovation-oriented region; resolving the prominent problems bearing on the livelihood of the people and promoting balanced development between rural and urban areas to take the lead in building a harmonious socialist society; deepening the system reform and bravely promoting the innovation of systems and mechanisms to take the lead in building a complete and sound system of socialist market economy; and enhancing the cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao and opening wider to both domestic and overseas markets to take the lead in establishing an opener economic system. The Pearl River Delta will combine the solution of the current problems with the planning for long-term development, sustain a stable and rather fast economic development, to provide strong support for sustaining the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao ,  make greater contribution to the reform and opening-up and the socialist modernization drive of China and take the lead in building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way and basically realizing modernization.  

2. Strategic Positioning 

An experimental region for exploring the patterns of scientific development. The state will endow the Pearl River Delta with greater autonomy and lend support to its pioneering exploration into the new ways and new measures for the transformation of economic development patterns and balanced development between urban and rural areas, so that it can carve out a road of civilized development which promises economic growth, well-off life and good ecology, and become a model of scientific development for the country.  

-     A pilot region for further reforms. The region will continue its historic mission as the “experimental field” for nationwide reforms, conduct brave explorations and unprecedented trials, pursue overall reforms of the economic, political, cultural, and social systems, and take the lead in making breakthroughs in important fields and at key links, thus providing mighty momentum for scientific development and cumulating fresh experiences for developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.  

-     An important international gateway for expanding the opening-up program. Upholding the “One country, two system” guideline, the region will push forward its intimate cooperation, integration and common development with Hong Kong and Macao so as to forge jointly the most dynamic and internationally competitive city cluster of the Asia-Pacific region. The region will innovate its mechanisms for international and regional cooperation, elevate the overall level of its economic internationalization, and improve its open economic system featured by domestic and overseas interaction, mutual benefits and win-win results, and safety and efficiency. 

-     A world-class base for advanced manufacturing and modern service industries. The region will stick to its strategic orientation toward high-end development, build a new stronghold for independent innovation, forge a number of advanced manufacturing bases that rank high among their world counterparts in both scale and quality, foster a batch of internationally competitive world-class enterprises and brands, develop a system of service industries to match Hong Kong as an international financial center, and develop into an international center for shipping, logistics, trade, conferences and exhibition, tourism, and innovation that has a different positioning from Hong Kong and Macao.  

-     An important national economic center. The region will rank high among all Chinese economic regions in terms of economic strength, attain stronger ability to influence and lead the surrounding areas, forge a multi-layer community of industries around the region in which the different layers complement each other with resources, have interrelated industries, and experience different levels of development, and develop into the leading force for the development of is peripheral areas and the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region as well as a more powerful engine for the development of the whole country.  

3. Developmental Goals  

At present and in a period to come, the region will be fully prepared for the severity and complexity of the situation, keep a firm faith and dare the difficulties, take as its top priority to sustain the stable and comparatively fast economic growth, and implement the assignments by the central government concerning the expansion of domestic demand in a timely manner. In view of the local actualities, the Pearl River Delta will make vigorous efforts to improve the living conditions of citizens, stimulate the demand of end consumption, encourage private investment, and facilitate export, so as to drive economic growth with joint forces.  

Till 2012, the region will have initially built a comprehensively and moderately prosperous society, preliminarily formed the system and mechanism for scientific development, achieved an obvious upgrade of industrial structure, gained noticeably stronger abilities of independent innovation, got the ecological environment remarkably improved, attained apparent improvement of people’s living standards, largely narrowed the urban-rural gap, basically realized the uniform development of different parts in the region, and further integrated its economic development with that of Hong Kong and Macao. In this region, the per capita GDP will have reached RMB80,000, with the service industries accounting for 53% of the growth; the per capita incomes for urban and rural residents will have increased remarkably compared with those of 2007, the average life expectancy will have reached 78 years, the social security system will have covered all urban and rural areas, and everybody will be able to enjoy basic public services; the urbanization level will have reached over 80%; the amount of land for construction use needed for every 100 million yuan of newly added regional GDP will have decreased, the difference between the energy consumption for each unit of GDP in the region and the advanced level in the world will have narrowed significantly, and the environment quality will have further improved.  

Till 2020, the region will have basically realized modernization ahead of other regions, established a sound system of socialist market economy, formed an industrial structure featuring modern service industries and advanced manufacturing industries, cultivated globally advanced capabilities of scientific innovation, fostered a scenario in which all people live in peace and harmony, and brought forth one of the world’s mega metropolitan areas with the most abundant core competitive strengths through labor division, cooperation, and mutual complementation among Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. The per capita GDP of the region will have reached RMB135,000, with the service industries accounting for 60%; the income levels for the urban and rural residents will have doubled compared with those of 2012, and a reasonable and orderly income distribution system will have basically taken form; the average life expectancy will have reached 80 years, and the a higher level of social insurance will have been realized for the whole society; the urbanization level will have reached 85%, and the energy consumption per capita GDP and the environmental quality will have reached or approached the advanced levels of the world.  

III. Build a Modern Industrial System 

By promoting the integration between informatization and industrialization, prioritizing the development of modern service industries, speeding up the development of advanced manufacturing industries, developing hi-tech industries vigorously, renovating and upgrading the traditional industries with advantages, and actively developing modern agriculture, the region will shape a mainstay industry cluster dually supported by modern service industries and advanced manufacturing industries, and form a modern industrial system with a higher level industrial structure, concentrated industrial development, and high-end competitiveness.  

1. Prioritize Development of Modern Service Industries  

The state will support the Pearl River Delta to conduct in-depth cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao in modern service industries, focusing on the development of finance, convention and exhibition service, logistics, information service, science and technology service, commercial service, service outsourcing industry, culture and creation industry, headquarter economy, and tourism, to comprehensively advance the development level of the service industries. The state will support Guangzhou and Shenzhen to set up regional financial centers and build a multi-layer capital market system and a relatively complete system of comprehensive financial services. The eligible high-quality enterprises will be supported to go public for financing and expand the proportion of their direct financing. Internationally competitive financial holding groups will be fostered, the second board at Shenzhen Securities Exchange will be introduced as quickly as possible, the equity transfer agency system will be improved, and the construction of Guangdong Financial and Hi-tech Services Zone will be supported. The region will make strenuous efforts to develop the financial back-office service industries, and build a backup service base for the modern financial industry that serves the whole Asian-Pacific region. The region will develop a series of specialized conventions and exhibitions with international influences and increase the international popularity of the existing ones, including China (Guangzhou) Export Commodities Fair, China Hi-Tech Fair (Shenzhen), China (Zhuhai) International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, China (Guangzhou) Small and Medium Enterprises Fair, and China     (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair, so as to forge the world’s first class brands of conventions and exhibitions. The region will promote the construction of a number of hub-type modern logistics parks including those at Baiyun Airport, Bao’an Airport, Guangzhou Port, and Shenzhen Port, improve the infrastructure as accessory to the modern logistics industry, thus promoting Guangdong to build world-class logistics centers. The southern hub for logistics information exchange, with the Pearl River Delta at the center, will be constructed, and the role of this region as a center for international electronic commerce will be solidified. The region will make concentrated efforts to develop the outsourcing service industry, and till 2012, 2 or 

3 cities will have developed into national-level bases for international service outsourcing and a relatively complete chain of this industry will have formed. The region will support the development of third-party professional service organizations including those engaged in research and designing, marketing and planning, engineering consulting, and brokering services, and boost the development of science and technology services and commercial services. The region will quicken the development of its human resource service industry, help to foster a number of organizations of this industry that command national influence and enjoy international competitiveness, and induce the reasonable flow and effective distribution of human resources. A number of business clusters of the creation industry will be fostered, and the construction of the national base of software and cartoon industries in the Pearl River Delta will be accelerated. The region will work hard to develop headquarters economy and encourage large enterprises both from home and abroad as well as the influential intermediary service organizations to establish their headquarters or branches in the Pearl River Delta. The region will develop into a demonstration area for the comprehensive reform of the tourism industry nationwide, and an international tourist destination and tour distribution center that have important influences in the Asian-Pacific region. Till 2020, the growth of modern service industries will account for over 60% of the growth of all service industries.  

2. Accelerate Development of Advanced Manufacturing Industry 

The region, by making full use of the current infrastructure and port conditions, will focus on developing the capital- and technology-intensive, highly interrelated, and extensively influential industries such as modern equipment, automotive, iron and steel, petrochemical, and shipbuilding, and take a path of new-type industrialization; will speed up the development of the equipment manufacturing industry, make breakthroughs in 5 key areas, namely, nuclear power equipment, wind power equipment, major equipment for power transmission and transformation, CNC lathes and systems, and ocean engineering equipment, and forge a world-class manufacturing base for major complete sets of equipment and technological equipment; will accelerate the development of car industry clusters mainly with national brands and independently developed technologies, forge 2 to 3 super automakers with an annual output of more than RMB100 billion yuan for each, and construct an international base of car production; will develop the critical vessel accessories such as high-power and medium- and low-speed diesels, and forge a world-class base for ship building and repairing with a capacity of over 10 million tons and a hi-tech and modern base for manufacturing ocean engineering equipment; will seize the opportunities provided by the acquisition of Shaoguan Iron and Steel and Guangzhou Iron and Steel companies by Baoshan Iron and Steel to construct the 10,000,000t class modern iron and steel base of Zhanjiang; will pursue intensive development of the petrochemical industry, with gathered strengths build 2 to 3 projects synthesizing an oil refining capacity of over 10 million tons and an ethylene production capacity of over 1 million tons, and strive to develop a globally advanced super-large base of the petrochemical industry; with the support from the state, will the development of the general aircraft manufacturing industry, and expand the new-energy automotive industry; and will make arduous efforts in fostering the fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries in order to promote their scales and levels and form new economic growth points. Till 2020, the growth of the advanced manufacturing industries will account for over 50% of the industrial growth. In the near future, the region will properly control the increase of new production capacities and speed up the structural adjustment in order to lay a foundation for long-term development.   

3. Vigorously Develop Hi-Tech Industries  

The region, aspiring to both overall progress and the breakthroughs in key areas and highlighting independent innovation and industrial conglomeration, will foster and expand the new industries and develop into a globally important belt for hi-tech industries; will focus on the development of high-end industries and the high-end links of various industries, and fast enhance its core competitive strengths in the hi-tech industries; will guide the productive factors to congregate toward the areas and industrial bases and parks that have advantages, and facilitate the formation of a hi-tech industry cluster with distinct features and complete accessory systems; will stress the development of the electronics and information, biology, new material, environmental protection, new energy, and marine industries; within the electronics and information industry, will emphasize developing the sectors of software and IC designing, new-type flat panel display, semiconductor lighting, new generation of broadband wireless mobile communications, next generation of Internet, and digital home, boost the model renewal and technological upgrade of digital audio and video products, sharpen the competitive edges of communications products in the global market, and construct a base of modern information industries; in the biology industry, will emphasize enhancing the research and development of the critical technologies and major products of the stem cell, genetic modification, and bio-information sectors, and dynamically develop biomedical and bio-breeding industries; within the new material industry, will accentuate developing the sectors of new-type electronic materials, special-function materials, environmentally-friendly materials, and high-performance structural materials; within the field of environment protection, will concentrate on developing the sectors of environmental protection technology and equipment and environmental service; within the new energy industry, will highlight developing the sectors of wind energy and solar energy; and within the marine industry, will emphasize developing the sectors of marine biology and comprehensive utilization of marine resources. The region will increase its support to the industrialization of high technologies, especially to the major projects in key areas; will encourage the 

“second-time business undertaking” of the hi-tech industrial parks, focus on speeding up the construction of Guangzhou Science City (North) and the hi-tech industrial belt in Shenzhen, accelerate the synchronization of research, standardization, and commercialization of scientific and technological findings, and develop the national-level hi-tech industrial parks of Guangzhou and Shenzhen into national leaders of their sort. Till 2012, the region will have fostered 3 to 5 clusters for emerging industries with an annual output of more than 100 billion yuan for each, and emphatically forged 3 to 5 multinational corporations of which each has an annual sale revenue of over 100 billion yuan with global influence. Till 2020, the growth of hi-tech industries will account for up to 30% of overall industrial growth.  

4. Renovate and Upgrade Traditional Industrial with Advantages 

The region will implement the strategies of renovating and uplifting industries,  having the famous brands play leading roles, gaining success with good qualities, and transforming and upgrading industrial structure, maximize the advantages in the traditional industries of home electric appliances, textile and garment, light industries and food, building materials, papermaking, and Chinese traditional medicine, raise the concentration levels of the industries, improve the quality of products, and enhance the integral competitiveness of these industries;  will adopt high and new technologies, advanced and applicable technologies, and modern managerial techniques to uplift the traditional industries with advantages, and extend the industrial chain toward the two ends with high added value; will emphasize enhancing the accessorizing ability of industrial chains and increasing the added values of products, and accordingly expand R&D input, intensify the efforts in designing manufacturing processes, elevate the levels of technologies and equipment, energetically develop environmentally-friendly, energy-efficient, and high value-added products, and encourage the traditional industries to build on their advantages to gain profits through brand cultivation; will speed up the structural adjustment of the traditional industries with advantages, and forge a batch of leading enterprises with prestigious brands; will bring into play the model role  of the leading enterprises, brand products, and nationally famous brands, forge the internationally influential geographical brands of Foshan for home electric appliances and building materials, of Dongguan for garment, of Zhongshan for lightings, and of Jiangmen for papermaking, and expand and enhance these industry clusters; will increase the technology and added value of the advantageous export products, and enlarge the proportion of national brands in the overall export; and will raise the access thresholds to these industries, facilitate the gradual recession of the resource-based low-end industries, and outmode the backward industries and capacities.  

5. Actively Develop Modern Agriculture  

Adhering to the requirements for high output, high quality, high efficiency, ecological soundness, and safety, the region will speed up the transformation of the pattern of agricultural development, optimize the industrial structure of agriculture, set up a modern industrial system for agriculture that has a metropolitan style, an overseas orientation and the features of South China, and take the lead in realizing the modernization of agriculture; will keep the area for grain growing at a certain level, construct standard farmlands, and carry out high-quality rice projects in order to ensure that neither the existing grain productivity  nor the capacity in guaranteeing food security will decline; will intensify the construction of the bases of fresh and live agricultural produces such as vegetables, aquatic products, livestock, and poultry, overcome the bottlenecks of preserving agricultural products in their processing and circulation, and construct a horticulture industry belt and a modern logistics system for agricultural products that are internationally competitive; will intensify the construction of basic farmland conservation areas, renovate the water-conservancy and irrigation facilities, promote the construction of the infrastructure for the breeding of improved varieties and the quarantine of animals and plants, continuously optimize the structure of agricultural facilities and equipment, and build a complete social service system for agriculture; will promote the translation of innovations and findings of agricultural science and technologies, raise the contribution rate of science and technology in agriculture, and establish a number of national-level parks of modern agriculture with high standards; will improve the joint-stock cooperative system of the countryside based on collectively-owned land, promote the industrialization, scale economy, and intensive management of agriculture, so as to raise labor productivity and land yield; will go all out to pursue the standardization of agriculture, and establish the “field to kitchen table” good manufacturing practice, quality and safety supervision and management system, and responsibility tracing system for agricultural products and foods; will strengthen the supporting and protecting systems for agriculture, and increase the risk-resisting ability of the sector; and will promote the international agricultural cooperation, bring the overseas-oriented agriculture in this region to a greater breadth and depth, and enhance its international competitiveness and ability of sustainable development.  

6.      PromoteOverall    Competitiveness   of Enterprises  

The region, through phasing out a number of backward enterprises, relocating a batch of labor-intensive ones, uplifting those with advantages, and fostering some with potentials, will facilitate the adjustment of its composition of enterprises; will vigorously facilitate informatization of enterprises, and help them to substantially improve their management levels; at present, will comprehensively employ various means to help the needy enterprises to survive, and encourage and support the advantageous enterprises to conduct mergers and acquisitions around their main business so as to form a batch of large enterprises with independent intellectual properties, world-class brands, and international competitiveness; and will bring into play the essential role of the large enterprises in the industrial chains to boost the development of the medium and small enterprises, thus forming a cooperative system where the large enterprises lead while the medium and small firms follow with professional auxiliary business. Till 2012, in this region, the number of the enterprises which have an annual revenue of over 10 billion yuan from their main business will have exceeded 100, for 8 among which the amount will have gone beyond 100 billion yuan, and the amount of the products of globally famous brands will have doubled. Till 2020, the number of the enterprises which earn an annual revenue of over 100 billion yuan from main business will have reached around 20, as will the number of the globally famous brands of the region.  

IV. Strengthening of Capabilities of Independent Innovation  

The region will improve the system, mechanism and policy environment for independent innovation, setting up an open regional innovative system in which enterprises play the leading roles, and which is guided by the market and combines industry, universities, and research academies, establish the first innovative region of the country, develop into an important innovation hub and a major base for translation of research findings of the Asian-Pacific region, and advance its international competitiveness in an all-round way.  

1. Facilitate Innovation and Translation of Core Technologies 

In order to meet the needs of modern industrial development, the region will concentrate on the introduction, digestion, absorption, re-innovation, and integrating innovation in the key sectors, actively promote original innovation, speed up the translation of innovative findings, and realize leapfrogging development of industrial technologies. The region will focus on the independent innovation in the critical areas such as electronics and information technologies, biology and new medicine, sophisticated manufacturing, new materials, energy conservation and new energy, environmental protection and comprehensive utilization of resources, and modern agriculture, and master a number of core and shared technologies of these industries. The region will implement the major programs for breakthroughs of the state-of-the-art technologies, conduct joint programs of scientific and technological breakthroughs in the critical sectors, carry out the specialized key projects of independent innovation concerning energy conservation, emission reduction, and renewable energy, the selection and appraisal of innovative medicine, nest generation of Internet, and a new generation of mobile communications, and support the cooperation among industry, universities and research academies and the joint efforts of a region to undertake national specialized major scientific and technological projects. The region will strengthen the construction of the science and technology parks of the universities, the incubators of scientific and technological findings, and the pilot experiment bases, construct a group of bases for industrializing innovative findings, organize the implementation of the hi-tech industrialization demonstration projects, and support the translation of national key innovative findings in the Pearl River Delta. The region will also energetically develop the science and technology intermediary service organizations engaged in technology appraisal, equity transaction, and translation of research findings, set up a platform for technology transfer, and facilitate the translation of innovative findings. The region will strive to realize that by 2012, the annual applications for invention patents reach 600 pieces per 1 million of population, and the independent innovation in certain key sectors approach or reach the globally advanced levels. And by 2020, realize the transformation from “Made in Guangdong” to “Created by Guangdong” .  

2. Consolidate the Role of Enterprises as Main Players of Independent Innovation. 

The region will guide the innovative factors to congregate toward enterprises, encourage them to increase their R&D input, and consolidate the role of domestic enterprises as the main players of independent innovation. With the support and encouragement from the state, the region will explore the policy measures for boosting independent innovation, and take the lead in establishing and improving a policy system for enhancing the independent innovative capabilities of enterprises. The region will improve the mechanisms for encouraging the independent innovation by enterprises, comprehensively implement the preferential policies for independent innovation such as the pre-tax deduction of R&D expenses of enterprises, and expand government purchase of innovative products. The region will support the enterprises to cooperate with universities and research academies throughout the country to establish high-level technological research institutions and talents development institutions, organize enterprises technological centers, and jointly undertake national major scientific and technological projects. The region will intensify the construction of common technological platforms and of innovation service systems of industries, and support the independent innovation of enterprises with public services. The region will cultivate a group of innovative enterprises with strong innovating capabilities and economic profitability, and, emphasis will be given to the forging of 50 national-level and 10 world leading key innovative enterprises.  

3. Build Open Regional Innovation System 

Through intensifying regional and international cooperation, improving regional layout of innovation, and enhancing the building of innovation capabilities, the region, will establish a regional innovation system which has the features of open and integrating, reasonable distribution, and strong support. The region will deepen the science and technology cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, establish zones for joint innovation, and support the joint undertaking of science and technology breakthrough programs and the joint construction of innovation platforms. According to relevant plans, the region will construct the Shenzhen-Hong Kong innovation community, strengthen the cooperation among the industries, universities and research academies of Guangzhou and Hong Kong, speed up the construction of national-level innovative cities, and create a new regional layout of innovation along the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong axis. The experiments with innovative development modes conducted by the national-level development zones in Guangzhou will be supported. The enterprises will conduct trial international cooperative innovations. They will be encouraged to establish overseas R&D institutions. The region will actively take in the transfer of R&D centers of multinationals. The operational and management mechanism of innovative platforms will be improved, an open access and sharing system for science and technology equipment and information will be established and improved, and the public service functions of innovative platforms will be consolidated. The construction of the major innovative platforms including Shenzhen National Hi-Tech Industries Innovation Center, South China New Medicine Creation Center and Guangzhou 

International Biological Island will be accelerated. By 2012, the region will build 100 innovation platforms with modern operational and management mechanisms, including national-level key laboratories, engineering centers, and engineering laboratories. By 2020, a rather complete and sound international innovation system will be formed in this region. 

4. Deepen National-Local Collaborative Mechanism for Innovation 

Relevant agencies of the central government and Guangdong Province will jointly conduct comprehensive experiments on independent innovation, actively promote the reform of the systems and mechanisms for coordinated management, examination and evaluation, and science and technology system, facilitate the efficient distribution and comprehensive integration of national and local innovative resources, and collaborate with each other to form a converging innovative force. The major science and technology projects of the cooperation among industry, universities, and research academies jointly sponsored by relevant ministries and the province will be introduced, and the action plan entitled “Comprehensive Model Enterprises for Cooperation among Industry, Universities and Research Academies” and the action plan of assigning science and technology commissioners to enterprises by ministries or the province will be implemented. The state will support the national key universities and research academies to cooperate with the Pearl River Delta to organize about 100 technological innovation alliances for the ministry-province-sponsored cooperation among industry, universities and research academies, and, in concerted efforts, to construct a group of high-level research universities, scientific research institutions, major innovation platforms, and demonstration bases for ministry-province-sponsored cooperation among industry, universities, and research academies. The state will support the location and construction of national major scientific and technological infrastructures, important science and technology organizations, and major innovation capability-building projects in the Pearl River Delta, and actively promote the strategic cooperation between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Guangdong Province on independent innovation. The construction of the cooperative projects, including the spallation neutron source, South China Innovation Base for 

Deep-Sea Marine Science and Technology, CAS Guangzhou Life and Health Research Academy, South 

China Supercomputing Center of China, CAS Guangzhou 

Industrial Technologies Research Academy, and CAS Shenzhen Advanced Technologies Research Academy, will be accelerated.  

5. Reinforce Environmental Construction for Independent Innovation 

The construction of the supporting systems of independent innovation concerning the input, talents, and protection of intellectual properties, will be reinforced. The financial resources will be optimized and consolidated, and the financial input will be increased. The region will improve the financing environment for innovation and business undertaking, actively develop intellectual property protection, lease financing, and venture capital, explore organizing new types of financial institutions to serve independent innovation, and conduct the trial of science and technology insurance. The Region will implement the intellectual property and technological standards strategies, intensify the protection and application of intellectual properties, and support the formulation of industrial, national, and international standards. The conduction of the trials with professional capabilities assessment and certification systems for people like industrial designers will be supported. The region will innovate the mechanisms for introducing, training, evaluating, appointing, commending, encouraging, and serving talents, implement the programs for introducing and training high-end talents, make use of the talent import platforms such as “Guangzhou Convention of Overseas Chinese Scholars in Science and 

Technology”, and build a pool of high-caliber and international talents. By 2012, the R&D expenses will account for 2.5% of the regional GDP, and the number of researchers will reach 280,000. By 2020, a new environment for independent innovation with complete elements, strong support, and an open and tolerant nature will be formed.  

V. Promotion of Infrastructure Modernization  

In accordance with the principles of integrated planning, reasonable distribution, adequate anticipation, and safety and reliability, and decisively seizing the current strategic opportunities provided by the expansion of domestic demand, the region will speed up the construction of the infrastructures for transportation, energy, water conservancy, and information, promote the coordinated regional development of infrastructure, uplift the security levels, and realize the modernization of infrastructure.  

1. Construct Open, Modern and Integrated Transportation System 

The Pearl River Delta will make great efforts to push forward the construction of transportation infrastructure, form a coordinated and integrated transportation system with a complete and sound network, reasonable distribution, and operational efficiency and closely linked with Hong Kong, Macao, and the peripheral areas, and develop itself into the most open, convenient, efficient, and secure hub for both passenger and cargo flows in the Asian-Pacific region.  The intercity rail transit network in the region will be constructed as quickly as possible, the railway, expressway, and intra-region express trunkline networks will be improved, and the transport connection between the two sides of the Pearl River estuary will be strengthened. The construction will focus on the major projects, including the loop expressway of the Pearl River Delta, the Zhongshan-Shenzhen passage across the estuary of the Pearl River, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the eastern passage between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the express railway from Guangzhou via Shenzhen to Hong Kong, the coastal railway, the 

Guizhou-Guangzhou railway, the Nanning-Guangzhou railway, and the urban rail transit systems of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Donggguan. The construction of urban public transport infrastructure and the transport hubs of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai will be intensified, and the intra-regional public transport network will be improved. The Pearl River Delta region will elevate the modernization level of its high-grade waterway network, effectively consolidate the port resources of the Pearl River estuary, improve the modern functions of the ports of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai, and shape a cluster of ports, which play different roles with the harbor of Hong Kong, complement with each other, and realize common development. The expansion of the Baiyun Airport of Guangzhou will be quickened to reinforce its pivotal status and strengthen its international competitiveness, and the Bao’an Airport of Shenzhen will be expanded and renovated to raise its service level and develop it into a large-scale backbone airport. The cooperation between the civil airports in the Pearl River Delta and the airports of Hong Kong and Macao will be enhanced to form an airport system for mutual enhancement and common development. By 2012, in the Pearl River Delta, the mileage of expressways will reach 3,000 kilometers; that of rail transit operation, 1,100 kilometers; the cargo handling capacity of the ports, 900 million tons; the container handling capacity, 47 million standard containers; and the capacity of the civil airports, 80 million person-times.  By 2020, the mileage of rail transit operation will reach 2,200 kilometers; the cargo handling capacity of the ports, 1.4 billion tons; the container handling capacity, 72 million standard containers; and the capacity of the civil airports, 150 million person-times. 

2. Build Clean, Safe and Reliable Energy Security System 

The energy infrastructure construction inside and outside the region will be integrated, and, with electric power construction at the center, an open, diversified, clean, safe, and economic energy security system will be built in order to meet the needs of the economic and social development of the Pearl River Delta. The preliminary work will be quickened, and the nuclear power industry will attain a proper scale, with the chain of the nuclear power industry extended, and the nuclear power self-reliance work will be promoted. Guangdong will be developed into an important base for nuclear power and nuclear power equipment of the country. The coal-fired power generation industry will be optimized. A group of environmentally friendly backbone power plants will be built along the rivers and sea coast, supporting power sources will be established at the power load center within the Pearl River Delta, and, in a coordinated way, the demonstration projects of integrated generation of heat, power and cool and those of clean power generation will be promoted in the region. The power supply from within Guangdong 

Province and that from outside via the “West to East Power Transmission” project will be rationally configured to ensure the safety and stability of the power grid. The power grid of the Pearl River Delta and the interregional power transmission passages will be further improved, the electric safety system and the emergency response system will be established, and the disaster-resisting, disaster-mitigating, and emergency response capacity of the power grid will be enhanced.  In compliance with the strategic planning and distribution of national key petroleum and natural gas projects, the construction of oil and gas infrastructure as well as LNG terminals will be accelerated, the construction of oil and gas pipelines will be carried out in a coordinated manner, and a regional center for petroleum distribution and trading will be established. The energy reserve programs will be executed steadily, and petroleum reserve bases and large-scale coal transit bases will be developed. More cooperation in the energy sector will be conducted home and abroad to open multiple channels for supply of resources and energy. New energy and renewable energy will be actively developed, with the focus placed on the construction of wind power plants and solar energy utilization projects. By 2020, a modern energy security system with a strong supply capacity, an optimal structure, and high efficiency will be formed. 

3. Construct Harmonious Water Conservancy Projects  

The construction of water conservancy infrastructure will be accelerated. The system of projects for preventing and mitigating water conservancy-related disasters will be improved. The configuration of water resources will be improved, and the preservation of water resources and the control of water pollution will be intensified, so as to ensure the safety of drinking water and ecology and the flood control and grain supply security and construct a modernized, secured support system for water conservancy. The region will concentrate on the construction of the key water control projects, including the Lechang Gorges Project on the Northern River (of the Pearl River), the Wantou Project, and the Dateng Gorges Project, carry out the solidification and compliance works for the major river and coastal embankments and dikes, including the Jingfeng United Embankment, the Jiangxin United Embankment, and the Zhongshan-Shunde Grand Embankment, and speed up consolidating the dilapidated reservoirs; and will continue the renovation project of the Pearl River estuary, coordinate the flood control engineering standards for the whole basin of the Pearl River, improve the command system for the effort to defend against flood, tide and drought, and make the emergency plan for dealing with supernormal floods. The center for the monitoring and early warning of small and medium meteorological disasters of the Pearl River Delta will be established through the province-ministry cooperation. The region will continue to intensify the control and management of the rivers and the construction of the infrastructure for protecting aquatic ecology, and accelerate the construction of the real-time monitoring systems for hydrology, water resources, and aquatic environment. The rational and efficient systems for configuring water sources and securing water supply will be established. The focus will be given to the construction of the water resource transfer and conservancy projects such as the project of transferring water from the Western River in Guangxi and the Zhuyin Water Source Project in Zhuhai. The coordinated management of the water resources in the Pearl River basin will be strengthened, and the backbone reservoirs on the upper reach of the Western River and the three major reservoirs of the Eastern River will be jointly managed. In this way, the water supply for the Pearl River Delta as well as Hong Kong and Macao can be secured. Water conservation will be promoted in agriculture, industries, and daily life and the efficiency of water resource utilization will be heightened. By 2020, the defense capabilities of the downtowns of Guangzhou and Shenzhen will be able to cope with the worst flood or tide that has ever occurred in the past 200 years; for the downtowns of other prefecture-level cities, 100 years; for the county cities, 50 years; and for the major embankments and dikes, 50 to 100 years. At that time, the water source assurance rate for water supply will reach 97% for large and medium cities and 90% for ordinary towns, and the quality of the water source will be complied with the quality standards specified for the relevant water function zone.  

4. Build Convenient and Efficient Information Networks System 

In line with the general requirement of constructing a “Digital Pearl River Delta”, and breaking the boundaries of administrative divisions, departments, and industries and the systematic barriers, the Pearl River Delta region will intensify the construction of information infrastructure, speed up the deployment of the new generation of mobile communication networks, push forward the construction of the wireless broadband urban cities cluster by districts and steps, and build a “whenever, wherever, and whatever” information network for this region. The information networks will be planed, constructed, and managed in an integral way. The region will take the lead in the convergence of the three networks, namely, the telecom network, the Internet, and the broadcasting and television network, and facilitate the sharing of online resources and the interconnection and mutual access among the different networks. The region will build the public information platform for the modern logistics in South China, take the lead in developing the “Logistics Internet”, and push forward the integration of the basic communications network, application networks, and radio-frequency induction network; and will construct the platforms for sharing government information resources, and forge a system for ensuring information safety. The basic geographic information resources of the Pearl River Delta will be developed and utilized in a coordinated way. By 2012, the popularization rates of the Internet and home broadband access will reach 90% and 65% respectively, and wireless broadband access will cover around 60% of the population. By 2020, the Pearl River Delta will become one of the global leaders of informatization.  

VI. Coordination of Urban and Rural Development 

In accordance with the general requirements for coordinated planning, industrial distribution, infrastructure construction, and public services of urban and rural areas, the Pearl River Delta will vigorously push forward the construction of socialist new countryside, improve the functions of cities, and take the lead in forming a new pattern of coordinated urban and rural development.  

1. Enhance Administration of Urban and Rural Planning and Construction 

The region will substantially integrate the urban and rural planning and distribution, construct demonstration modern urban and rural areas in line with the economic development levels, and build inhabitable towns and villages with South China features.  A planning system will be established which is based on the major functional region planning and coordinates the economic and social development planning, land use planning, and urban and rural planning. The functional areas will be rationally zoned, and each will be positioned for specific functions. The condition where urban and rural residential areas mingle with industrial and agricultural areas will be changed, and the spatial layout for urban and rural construction will be optimized. To meet the requirement for coordinated development, the region will integrate the urban and rural planning, enhance the construction of supporting facilities, and improve the living environment of the rural areas. The region will renovate the villages inside a city according to the local conditions, dismantle the deserted villages and consolidate the tiny ones, and speed up the construction of new types of urban and rural communities. The region will strengthen the coordinated planning of the urban and rural spaces for non-agricultural use, optimize the industrial structure of the rural areas, and integrate the industrial development of urban-rural areas. The region will explore the new system for coordinating the planning, construction, and administration of urban and rural areas, and uplift the levels of urban and rural planning, construction, and administration. and the region will promote the openness, transparency, and mass participation degree of plan formulation, and advance the legalization of plan compilation and implementation.  

2. Enhance Construction of Rural Infrastructure 

The region will elevate the level of coordinated construction of urban and rural infrastructures, and strive to intensify the construction of rural infrastructure. The region will make great efforts in constructing the safe drinking water projects in rural areas, and raise the assurance rate and quality and safety levels of water supply in rural areas; and lift the construction grades and standards for rural roads, improve the mechanism for rural road administration and network of rural roads, quicken the pace of realizing public transportation in rural areas, and fulfill shaping a convenient and fast public passenger transport system which covers both cities and countryside by 2020. The construction of rural infrastructure for modern logistics will be accelerated, the expansion of urban trading companies into rural areas will be encouraged, and the system of urban-rural business chains will be improved. The region will push forward the construction of a clean and economical energy system for countryside, further complete the coordinated urban-rural power supply network, spread renewable energy technologies in rural areas, such as methane, biomass clean fuel, and solar energy, and make clean and economical energy available to most rural residents. Sanitation projects will be implemented in rural areas. The construction of rural waste and wastewater centralized treatment and disposal systems will be quickened; the rural waste and human and animal excrements will be treated so as to make them harmless; and the hygienic conditions and living environment will be improved.  

3. Facilitate Urban and Rural Equality of Basic Public Services 

The educational, health, cultural, and social security resources will be distributed between the urban and rural areas in an integral and balanced way, and the social undertaking development will focus on the rural areas. The assurance of rural public services with government finance will be elevated to a higher level; the construction of the system of coordinated public services for urban and rural areas will be quickened; the public service system oriented to permanent residents will be completed; and the region will take the lead in realizing the equality of basic public services. The mechanism guaranteeing the expenditures for rural compulsory education will be improved; stricter thresholds will be established for rural teaching positions, and the quitting mechanism for rural teachers will be introduced, so as to allow higher-quality teaching personnel for rural education and bring balanced development of rural and urban compulsory education. And the countryside-oriented vocational education will be intensified. The construction of rural medical infrastructure will be strengthened; the overall amelioration of the rural conditions for healthcare and prevention and treatment of diseases will be pursued; the new type of rural medical cooperative system will be improved; and efforts will be made to construct the coordinated public health service system, medical service system, medicare system, and drug supply security system of urban and rural areas. The protection of the rights and interests of migrant workers will be strengthened, and they will gradually enjoy equal rights with urban citizens regarding public services such as school access for their children and public health. Urban and rural employment will be integrated, and the establishment of the coordinated human resource market and fair and competitive employment system for both areas will be accelerated. The region will speed up the construction of coordinated social security system in urban and rural areas and in accordance with the current level of social and economic development. The region will improve the rural pension system, and do a substantially good work regarding the job training and social security of those whose lands have been expropriated. The social welfare and charity programs in rural area will be energetically developed; and the system of ensuring minimum living standards which dictates relatively coordinated treatment but different standards for urban and rural residents will be established; with the minimum living standards and the levels of subsidies being gradually raised. The policies on supporting the totally dependent households and aiding the disaster victims and orphans in rural areas will be improved; and the overall social welfare level will be promoted. The construction of public cultural facilities in rural areas will be vigorously advanced, and, on the basis of the cultural facilities of communities and villages, the public cultural service system of cities and countryside will be improved. The construction of rural grassroots organizations will be consolidated, and the coordinated administration of the urban and rural societies will be lifted to a higher level.  

4. Establish New Mechanism Providing Urban Assistance to Rural Areas and Industrial Subsidies to Agriculture 

A series of fiscal and financial policies to assist countryside and agriculture will be instituted and improved, and the mechanism of one-on-one urban assistance to rural areas will be improved, so as to establish a new mechanism that provides urban assistance to rural areas and industrial subsidies to agriculture. The mechanism of supporting countryside and agriculture with government finance will be improved, and the input from a given level of government finance for this purpose will grow faster than the growth of its regular revenues. The structure of the use of the government investment, the incomes from land transfer, and the incomes newly earned from the tax on farmland occupation will be adjusted in order to allow a dramatically larger share for the “farmers, countryside, and 

agriculture”. The development of new types of countryside-oriented financial institutions (organizations) and regional financial institutions mainly to serve rural areas will be accelerated; the construction of the rural credit guarantee mechanisms and the rural credit system will be advanced; the coverage of policy-based agricultural insurance will be expanded; and the insurance for rice, pigs, fishing, and forests will be encouraged. By 2020, a rural financial system that has sufficient capital, safe operation, and sound functions will be established. The one-on-one urban assistance to rural education, medicine, health, and culture will be increased, and the demonstrative influence of cities and industries on the countryside and agriculture will be strengthened. 

VII.   Promotion of Coordinate Regional Development 

In accordance with the position of the Pearl River Delta among the major functional regions of the country, the spatial deployment of development in the Delta will be optimized. With Guangzhou and Shenzhen as the centers and the eastern and western banks of the Pearl River as the essential parts, the Pearl River Delta will push forward its regional economic integration, and help the surrounding areas to develop faster. This will bring a new pattern of coordinate development that enables optimal configuration of resource factors and full play of local advantages.  

1. Exert Demonstration Role of Major Cities 

Guangzhou will have a fully play of its advantages as the provincial capital, strengthen its role in conglomerating high-end elements, technological innovation, cultural leadership, and comprehensive service, further optimize its functional zoning and industrial layout, and development into the core of the one-hour ride metropolitan area of the Pearl River Delta. The city will prioritize the development of high-end service industries, speed up the construction of advanced manufacturing bases, energetically advance its capabilities of independent innovation, and take the lead in setting up a modern industrial system. It will amass greater cultural and soft strengths, increase its comprehensive competitive force, underpin its status as the major city of the nation, comprehensive gateway city, and regional cultural and educational center, and play a stronger exemplar role. The effect arising from the seamless integration of Guangzhou and Foshan into a whole metropolis will be intensified in forging the Pearl River Delta into a rationally distributed, well-functioning, and close-knit urban cluster. Guangzhou will be developed into the “Best District” among the inhabitable urban and rural areas of Guangdong and an international metropolis that embraces the world and serves the whole country. 

Shenzhen will continue to play its role as the window of the special economic zones, an experimental field, and an demonstration area, strengthen its functions in research and development and high-end services, solidify its status as a national economic center and a national-level innovative city, and develop into a city exemplifying the socialism with Chinese characteristics and an international city.  

2. Optimize Functional Layout of Eastern Bank of Pearl River Mouth 

The eastern bank of the Pearl River mouth, with Shenzhen as the core and Dongguan and Huizhou as major nodes, will optimize the structure of its population, improve the efficient of land use, raise the levels of comprehensive urban services, facilitate the conglomeration of productive factors and intensive development, strengthen the capabilities of independent innovation, cooperate with the outside world to realize a higher level of internationalization, serve the whole country to create new room for development, and advance its core competitiveness and demonstrative influence. Efforts will be made to develop Shenzhen into a base of advanced manufacturing industries and hi-tech industries, including communications equipment, biological engineering, new materials, and automotives using new energy. Dongguan will speed up the transformation and upgrade of its manufacturing industries, and establish Lake Songshan Technology Industrial Park. Huizhou will actively foster its port-related basic industries, and develop into a base of petrochemical industries.  The eastern bank of the Pearl River mouth will accelerate the development of the manufacturing of high-end electronics and information products, and forge a world-class base of electronics and information industries. This area will vigorously develop modern service industries including finance, convention and exhibition, logistics, science and technology services, and cultural and creative services, push forward the optimization and upgrade of its industrial structure, and develop into a regional center of services and innovation.     

3. Elevate Developmental Levels of Western Bank of Pearl River Mouth 

The western bank of the Pearl River mouth, with Zhuhai as the center and Foshan, Jiangmen, Zhongshan, and Zhaoqing as the main nodes, will enhance its capabilities of agglomerating population and industries, play a stronger function of assembling productive factors and serving production, and optimize its urban system and industrial distribution. Zhuhai will fully tap its advantage as a special economic zone and its geographical advantage, expedite the construction of transportation infrastructure, grow into the transportation hub on the western bank of the Pearl River mouth at an early time, enhance its functions in the conglomeration and development of high-end elements and innovative development, enhance its core competitive strength, increase its capability of boosting the development of peripheral areas, develop into a modern regional urban center and an ecological and new special economic zone, and try to develop into an demonstration city of scientific development. The city will accelerate the development of Gaolan Port Industrial Area, the ocean engineering and equipment manufacturing base, the aviation industrial park, and the international business recreation and tourism resort. The other key projects for the development of the western bank also include 

Foshan’s concentration area for the machinery and equipment industry and the new-type flat panel display industry and its district of financial services, the base of port-front equipment manufacturing, fine chemicals, and healthcare industries in Zhongshan, the key area for advanced manufacturing industries in Jiangmen, and the concentration area for the transformation and upgrade of the advantageous traditional industries in Zhaoqing. The western bank of the Pearl River mouth will pursue scale development of advanced manufacturing industries, vigorously develop the production-oriented service industries, expand and enhance the dominant industries, shape a number of internationally competitive industry clusters, and develop into a new pole of economic growth.  

4. Advance Regional Economic Integration of Pearl River Delta 

Following the principles of governmental endorsement, market dominance, resource sharing, mutual enhancement, coordinate development, and win-win cooperation, the 9 cities in the Pearl River Delta will override the obstacles imposed by the administrative system, and innovate the cooperative mechanisms and optimize their resource configuration. The region will formulate the plan for the integrated development of the Pearl River Region. And the region will explore the administrative system, financial system, and assessment and commending system conducive to the integrated development. Under the unified leadership and coordination of the provincial government, the cities will establish the multi-stratum cooperation mechanisms participated by cities, departments, enterprises, and other social forces. Following the example of 

Guangzhou-Foshan integration and starting with the integration of transportation infrastructure, a situation of unified development where the urban planning is integrated, the infrastructure is commonly built and used, the industries are developed through win-win cooperation, and the public affairs are coordinately administered will be created to achieve a greater competitive power of the whole region. The urban planning will be integrated to optimize the spatial structure of the urban cluster of the Pearl River Delta. The construction of the inter-city fast rail transit system for the Pearl River Delta will be expedited, the electronic networked tolling of expressways will be implemented, the tollgates for common highways will be abolished, and the expressway tollgates will be reduced, so as to frame a unified comprehensive transportation system. The energy infrastructure will be integrated to form a unified network for natural gas conveyance and a united pipeline network for oil products, and the oil, gas and power in the whole region will have the same sources and same prices. The basic information networks will be planned integrally, the standards and practices for information exchange will be unified, and the public databases will be commonly developed and used. The industries spanning different administrative divisions will be planned in an integral way, a regional industrial development situation of staggered development and mutual complementation and enhancement will be materialized, and the concerted development of the industries will be advanced. The regional environmental monitoring and early warning system will be built through coordination, the regional collaborative prevention mechanisms will be instituted, and the air and water pollution in the region will be jointly prevented and controlled. Collaboration will be promoted in the administration of social and public affairs, and regional equality will be advanced regarding education, health, medicine, social insurance, and employment. By 2012, the integration of infrastructure and economy of the region will be preliminarily materialized. By 2020, the regional economic integration and the basic regional equality of public services will be realized. 

5.      Inspire    Accelerated    Develop of Areas Surrounding Peal River Delta  

The areas surrounding the Pearl River Delta refer to the east, west, and north of Guangdong Province and the adjacent areas in neighboring provinces and regions. The influencing, serving and modeling functions of the Pearl River Deltas will be brought into full play to boost the flow of elements and the transfer of industries, develop a staggered and rational distributed industrial cluster, and form a mutually enhancing and win-win system of industry collaboration. The infrastructure construction will be intensified, the port and transportation systems will be improved, and the expressway and railway passages passing through the Pearl River Delta and connecting it with the contiguous areas will be constructed. The staggered transfer of the labor-intensive industries away from the Pearl River Delta will be encouraged. The construction of the petrochemical, steel and iron, shipbuilding, and energy production bases in eastern and western Guangdong will be accelerated to form a coastal belt of heavy and chemical industries, and the north of Guangdong will be developed into an accessory base for the advanced manufacturing industries of the Pearl River Delta. The mechanisms for the corresponding assistance of the Pearl River Delta toward the east, west and north of Guangdong will be perfected, the modes of assistance and aid will be innovated, and the “dual transfer” of both industries and labor force will be pursued. The assistance will be focused on the demonstration zones and parks for industry transfer that serve the agglomeration and development of the dominant industries in order to encourage the formation of industry clusters, and closed customs area or free-trade area under special supervision will be established within eligible zones and parks for industry transfer. The transfer of the rural population of the east, west and north of Guangdong toward cities and towns will be sped up, the local central cities will be enlarged, and new poles of economic growth will be cultivated in the east, west, and north.  

VIII. Enhancement of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection 

The most rigorous systems for farmland protection and land efficiency will be enforced, the intensive and efficient utilization of resources will be advanced, environmental protection and ecological construction will be intensified, and the capabilities of sustainable development will be strengthened. The region will take the lead in building a resource-conserving and environmentally-friendly society.  

1. Utilize Land Efficiently and Intensively  

The general and annual plans for land use will be strictly enforced, and the goals of protecting arable land and basic farmland will be substantially attained. The scales of the arable land occupied for construction and of the supplemented arable land will be integrally administered, parts of the low-efficiency garden plots and hill slopes will be actively renovated and developed to supplement arable land, the effort of renovating and re-farming land will be intensified, and the balance between arable land occupation and supplementation will be strictly kept. The region will explore the scientific development road that provides strict protection of arable land, moderate land occupation for construction, and high efficiency of land use will be explored, and innovate the pattern of land administration, so as to develop into an demonstration region for the national trial of efficient and intensive land utilization. The effort to deal with idle land for construction use will be intensified to bring it back into active use. The river mouth and coastal swamps will be effectively protected, the land obtained through filling and embanking seas and the beaches will be utilized for non-agricultural construction in a rational and orderly way, and the occupation of existing arable land will be reduced. The region will reinforce the adjustment and control of land demand, practice more stringent policies and standards for land supply, land use, and market access, adopt the policy of discriminate land supply, actively push forward the upgrade and renovation of industrial parks following the principles of industry concentration, reasonable distribution, and intensive land use, and advance intensive land utilization in transportation infrastructure and urban and rural construction. The region will explore the reform of the land use review and approval system, simplify the procedures, and strengthen the supervision. And the region will experiment establishing a mechanism for land income adjustment, and employ economic means to promote the level of intensive land utilization.  

2. Energetically Develop Circular Economy  

Sticking to the guideline of emphasizing both development and conservation but prioritizing conservation, following the principles of lower consumption, reuse, and conversion into resources, the region will make strenuous efforts in conserving energy, water, and materials, boost the comprehensive utilization of resources, thoroughly enforce clean production, and develop an economic development mode characterized by low input, low consumption, low emission but high efficiency. The target responsibility system will be enforced, and any new project will be subject to an energy conservation review. The administration of the key enterprises and organizations for energy conservation will be emphasized, the technical renovation for energy conservation of the industrial, construction, and transportation sectors will accelerated, and the energy consumption for each unit of GDP will be lowered to 0.57tec. The development of comprehensive resource utilization projects endorsed by national policies will be encouraged, and the projects generating electric power with garbage and residual heat will be facilitated. The administration of power demand will be intensified, and a long-term efficient mechanism for power conservation administration will be established. Total amount control and quota management of water use will be carried out, and by 2020, the recycling rate of the water for industrial use will reach 80%. The cities and towns will construct their systems for utilization of recycled water. The region will formulate the plan for enforcing clean production, and direct and supervise the effort of enterprises to practice clean production. It will formulate the plan for developing circular economy, actively explore local price and financial policies conducive to resource-conserving and circular economic development, build a batch of industrial parks meeting the requirements of circular economic development, and shape resource-efficient and resource-recycling industrial chains.   And the region will encourage the production and use of the products that conserve energy, water, and materials, renewable products, and energy-efficient and environmentally friendly cars, and foster healthy, civilized, resource-efficient modes of production and consumption.  

3. Intensify Pollution Prevention and Control  

Sticking to the guideline of focusing on prevention and enforcing comprehensive control, the region will improve environmental management, innovate the mechanism for environmental management, and substantially solve the outstanding problems that jeopardize human health and affect economic and social development. Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission. The industrial distribution will be scientifically planned, and it will be ensured that pollution will be spread along with industry transfer. The industrial enterprises will be guided into the parks and areas, and the wastewaters will be treated collectively. The construction of wastewater treatment facilities and the matching pipeline networks in cities will be accelerated, and the monitoring of the operation of the existing facilities will be tightened. The planning and construction of urban garbage disposal facilities will be expedited, and the garbage collection and transportation system will be improved. The supervision and monitoring of the water quality at provincial boundaries as well as the supervision and management of pollution emission at river mouths will be stiffened. The administration of water environment will be strengthened. Especially, the cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will be enhanced to jointly improve the integral water quality of the Pearl River Delta, reduce the overall water pollution, and advance the level of wastewater treatment. The construction and protection of drinking water sources will be strengthened to ensure drinking water safety. Land and marine administration will be integrated to control offshore pollution. The system for monitoring and controlling atmospheric compound pollution will be established and improved, and vigorous efforts will be made to solve the dusty haze problem. The superficial pollution of agriculture will be arduously controlled, with the focus on the control of the pollution of livestock, poultry, and aquatic cultivation. The treatment and disposal of solid waste will be enhanced, the soil pollution caused by permanent organic pollutants and heavy metals will be effectively contained and handled with great strengths, and the quality of farmland will be improved, so as to ensure the safety of agricultural production. The region will formulate more rigid environmental standards, integrate the construction of environmental infrastructure, encourage the innovation and experiments of environmental administration mechanisms, take full advantage of economic means such as price, government expenditure, and finance for the purpose of environmental protection, and take the lead in establishing an efficient mechanism for environmental administration which defines clear responsibilities of government, enterprises, and citizens. By 2012, the rate of urban wastewater treatment will reach around 80%, the rate of harmless treatment of urban living garbage will reach around 85%, and the compliance rate of industrial waster discharge will reach around 90%; By 2020, the three figures will reach over 90%, 100%, and 100% respectively.  

4. Strengthen Ecological and Environmental Protection 

The region will optimize its ecological safety situation, and construct a regional system of ecological safety mainly consisting of the waterways of the Pear River, the major coastal greenbelts, and the rolling hills in the north. It will preserve the important and sensitive ecological function areas, strengthen the construction of the nature reserves and swamp reserve projects, rehabilitate the ecological systems of river mouths and offshore waters, boost the construction of the coastal shelter forests and mangrove projects and the riverbank shelter forest projects, improve forestry management, advance the quality and functions of forests, and maintain the structural completeness of the ecological system. It will intensify the construction and preservation of the conserving forests at the water sources of the Pearl River valley, and integrally control soil erosion. It will facilitate the construction of urban landscape woods, common greens in downtowns, and fringe greenbelts of cities, promote the integration of urban and rural forestation, speed up the construction of the greenbelts along roads and railways, safeguard the open greens like farmland preservation areas and farmland woods, and shape networked regional ecological corridors. And it will implement graded control for ecological protection, and explore an ecological compensation mechanism applicable to the entire river basin and the entire region.  By 2020, the per capita area of parks and greens for urban residents will reach 15 square meters, 900,000 hectares of public ecological woods will be cultivated, and 82 natural reserves will be established.  

IX.    Expedition      of     Developmentof     Social Undertakings  

The region will stress the improvement of the living conditions of its residents, energetically develop various social undertakings, substantially ensure universal education, employment, healthcare, pension, and housing, forge the best demonstration region of the country for developing high-quality social undertakings, facilitate overall personal development, and develop into a harmonious and progressive society where people live happily, safely, and healthily.  

1. Prioritize Development of Education 

-     The teaching resources for compulsory education will be rationally distributed, and it will be ensured that the children of all permanent residents can receive equal compulsory education. According to the local conditions, the education from the preschool stage to the high school stage will be popularized with the support from local public finance. Focusing on secondary vocational education, the region will make great efforts to develop vocational education, and take the lead in providing free rural secondary vocational education. The Pearl River Delta will promote the cooperation between enterprises and schools, construct intensive training bases for vocational education, prepare vocational education resources to serve a larger region, and develop itself into a major base in South China for vocational and technical education. And it will further popularize higher education, and noticeably advance the innovation and service capabilities of the colleges.  

-     Advance the development of higher education with new ideas and mechanisms. The prestigious universities of Hong Kong and Macao will be encouraged to establish cooperative institutions of higher education in the Pearl River Delta, the authority for undertaking cooperative education with overseas organizations will be expanded, and the all-sided, multidisciplinary and multiform cooperation on intellect introduction and talent cultivation will be encouraged, so as to optimize the structure of talent development. The support to the national key universities will be intensified. By 2020, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai will establish cooperative higher education institutions with 3 to 5 famous foreign universities, and the region will develop 1 to 2 universities that are first class in China and enjoy a leading status in the world. 

-     Strive to develop into an demonstration region for the national comprehensive educational reform. The region will formulate its mid-term and long-term plans for educational development, and take the lead in exploring multiform educational modes and methods. It will reform the exam-oriented educational mode, and widely practice quality-oriented education. It will actively experiment carrying out the reforms of teaching and teaching personnel establishment, deepen the reform of talent cultivation patterns, and explore the educational methods that go along with the rule of relaying and inheriting the fruits of human civilization. The autonomy of higher educational institutions will be broadened, and the modes of their governance will be reformed. Active exploration will be done as to a mechanism that ensures education costs mainly with government input while also through multi-channel fundraising. 

2. Perfect Medical and Health Services 

-          Elevate the levels of public health and medical services. The construction of the public health institutions for disease prevention and control, healthcare of women and young children, mental health, and vocational health will be boosted. The construction of the system for preventing, controlling and treating major diseases and the system for health supervision will be intensified, and the emergency response abilities to handle public health accidents will be strengthened. The basic medical service system in rural and urban areas will be vigorously developed, the levels of medical services will be elevated, and the medical service inconveniences suffered by the masses will be substantially removed. The patriotic health movement will be carried to a greater depth, and the club of national-level sanitary towns will be enlarged. By 2012, the region will take the lead in establishing a basic medical and health service system covering all urban and rural residents; in 2020, all residents in the region will be able to enjoy high-quality medical and health services. 

-          Optimize the configuration of medical and health resources. The large-scale medical apparatuses and testing instruments will be planned and utilized integrally, the universal acceptance of a single clinic record of a given patient and the mutual recognition of the results of medical exams and medical photographic exams among medical institutions will be enforced, and the number of large medical apparatuses will be reasonably determined according to the target population of the medical services. Favors will be given to the grassroots rural and urban communities in configuring medical and health resources. The training and introduction of high-end medical talents and the medical talents for grassroots service will be integrated. The unique advantages of the traditional Chinese medicine in the disease prevention, healthcare, and medical services will be brought into full play. The region will expedite the standardization and regularization of the traditional Chinese medicine sections and drug stores for traditional Chinese medicine in grassroots medical institutions, and will take the lead in establishing and perfecting a network of traditional Chinese medicine services that “preempts the potential diseases” through disease prevention and healthcare services.  

-          Carry on the reform of the management system and operational mechanism of the medical and health institutions. The trials of public hospital reform will be conducted, the mode of subsidizing medical services with profit from drug sale will be abolished, and the system of providing economic compensation to public hospitals will be improved. The development non-public medical institutions will be actively promoted, and the investors and investing ways of hospitals will be diversified. The region will explore a new system that separates the government from the social undertakings, the administration from operation, medical services from drug sale, and profit-oriented hospitals from nonprofit ones, and play a role as the experimental field for the reform of the medical and health service systems.  

3. Complete Housing Welfare System 

-     Vigorously facilitate the construction of welfare housing. The preferential policies concerning the land grant and tax exemption for low-rent and economic housing projects will be implemented, the government investment in these areas will be expanded, and the low-rent housing will play a stronger role in securing housing for the population who earn low incomes and have housing difficulties. 

-      Perfect the monetary housing distribution and policy-based housing leasing mechanisms. The standards for monetary housing subsidy will be established, and the mechanism for dynamically adjusting such standards according to house prices and income levels of residents will be established. The housing reserve system will be perfected. The 

proportion of the reserve in an employee’s salary will be appropriately raised. The reserve will play an important role in housing security, and increase the capabilities of the employees to pay for their housing. The policy-based house leasing system will be implemented to meet the basic housing needs of the fresh employees, mid- and low-income families with housing difficulties, and eligible non-permanent residents. 

4. Improve Employment and Social insurance Systems 

-     Speed up the improvement of the policy and service systems for advancing employment. Various preferential policies to boost employment will be implemented, and the employment of urban and rural areas and of various groups of laborers will be integrated. The vocational and skill training for rural laborers will be intensified to improve their ability to get employed outside agriculture. The Pearl River Delta will be forged into a national-level demonstration region for the vocational and skill training of rural laborers for their transfer from and employment outside agriculture. The region will make great efforts to elevate the vocational skills and qualities of laborers, and develop itself into a first class demonstration base of vocational skill development and evaluation. It will prefect the policies for assisting venture undertakers, complete the system of business undertaking services, intensify training for business undertaking, and develop into a national-level base for incubating employment through business undertaking. It will universally enforce the labor contract system and the collective contract system, complete the labor security and supervision system and the mechanism for labor dispute mediation and arbitration, and protect the legal rights of laborers according to law. And it will intensify working safety supervision and administration, and stiffen the prevention and treatment of occupational diseases. 

-     Perfect the social insurance network that covers urban and rural areas and benefits every citizen. The region will establish and complete the endowment insurance system, expand the scope for endowment insurance in urban areas, gradually substantiate the idea of individual endowment insurance accounts, and realize the provincial-level integral administration of endowment insurance; will establish a new-type endowment insurance system for rural areas. And it will realize free transfer of endowment insurance among different regions. In 2012, over 95% of urban residents with household registration, over 80% of migrant workers, and over 60% of rural residents (over 90% of peasants whose land has been expropriated) will participate in endowment insurance. The region will establish and complete a medical security system that integrates urban and rural areas, guarantees basic medical services, and satisfies different levels of needs, and enforce medical insurance for all citizens; will deepen the reform of the unemployment insurance system, and expand the coverage of industrial injury insurance and maternity insurance. It will energetically demand all employers to buy industrial injury insurance for migrant workers, and develop the region into a national-level base for healing industrial injuries. It will gradually establish a socialized management and service system for both urban and rural retirees. It will perfect the social rescue and assistance system on the basis of the minimum living standard security, and enhance the other security mechanisms, including social welfare, the preference and assistance to and the settlement of certain citizens, and disaster relief and emergency response. And it will establish and improve a mechanism for adjusting the standards of social insurance, and gradually raise the level of social insurance. By 2020, the region will establish a relatively complete and effective social insurance system.  

5. Construct Harmonious Culture  

-     Elevate the cultural qualities of citizens. The region will innovate the mode of teaching the core values of socialism and allow the core values of socialism to permeate the whole processes of national education and spiritual civilization construction. It will carry forward the excellent traditional culture of Chinese nation and the unique cultural features of Guangdong, foster the spirit of venture, innovation, and integrity, forge a contemporary Guandgdong spirit, and promote the common development of material and spiritual civilizations. It will stress the strengthening of the senses of honesty and credit, and enhance the construction of social morals, professionalism, family virtues, and personal character. And it will develop a learning society, and foster a good atmosphere filled with enthusiasm for learning and esteem to knowledge. 

-     Build a public cultural service system covering both urban and rural areas. The region will carry out the projects of propagating basic cultural facilities, and construct 4 levels (city, county, township, and administrative village) of networks of basic cultural facilities. In 2012, the region will lead the nation in all major indexes concerning grassroots cultural 

construction. The “ten-minute ride cultural communities” will be established in cities while the “ten mile cultural communities” will be established in rural areas, so as to ensure that the masses can enjoy various free public cultural services. The region will innovate the ways of cultural services, speed up the establishment of the networked service system for sharing information and cultural resources, facilitate the projects of itinerate public cultural services, and forge develop a national demonstration base for public cultural construction; And it will actively unearth and salvage cultural heritage resources, and effectively protect and inherit the historically and scientifically valuable cultural heritages. By 2020, the region will develop a public cultural service system that provides excellent services and covers the whole society.  

-     Push forward cultural innovation. The region will deepen the reform of the cultural system, actively convert the state-owned profit-oriented cultural organizations into enterprises, establish and improve the competitive mechanisms of the cultural industry, foster diversified and marketized room for cultural production and consumption, and cultivate a dynamic mechanism for making cultural products and providing cultural services. And it will carry out the projects of attracting high-end cultural talents, encourage the creation of excellent cultural products, forge excellent brands of culture and art, continuously promote the development of advanced cultures, form a cultural industry system with a positive spirit, distinct features, good structure, and technological richness, and better meet the multi-layer, multifaceted, and diverse spiritual and cultural needs of the masses. By 2020, the growth of cultural industries will account for 8% of overall GDP growth of the region.  

X. Creation of New System and Mechanism Advantages 

The Pearl River Delta, especially the Special Economic Zones in the region, will continue to serve as an “experimental field” and demonstration area, deepen the reform of the economic system and social administration system starting from the reform of the administrative system, advance the development of democracy and the rule of law, conduct unprecedented experiments at critical links and in vital fields, take the lead in establishing a complete and sound system of socialist market economy, and provide massive force for its scientific development.  

1. Innovate Administrative System 

-     In accordance with the general requirement of building a socialist administrative system with Chinese characteristics, in line with the basic positioning of the administration as economic adjustment, market regulation, social management, and public service, following the reform direction of simplification, unity, and efficiency, the region will energetically transform the functions, smooth the relations and optimize the structure of government administration, fully tap the basic role of the market in resource configuration, and strive to build  governments of service, responsibility, law, and integrity. And it will separate government from enterprises, investment, social undertaking, and market intermediaries. All the matters that the market can adjust will be decisively trusted to the market; all the matters that should be decided independently by enterprises will be return to enterprises; all the matters that social organizations are capable of resolving will be transfer to social organization; and any responsibility that should be born by the government will be solidly fulfilled. The government will focus its attention on implementing the policies and measures for national macro adjustment and control, improving the environment for development, advancing economic development, boosting employment and social insurance, enhancing market regulation, normalizing market order, accelerating the development of social undertakings, and substantially protecting ecological environment. The region will strengthen its abilities to deal with emergent public events and to conduct integral management of public security. It will scientifically provide financial strengths for all levels of local governments according to the principle of matching financial appropriation with authority, and boost the abilities of the city and county governments to provide public services. It will further smooth and clarify the relationship between the departments subject to vertical administration and related local governments. And it will stipulate various accessory measures, and perfect the systems for assessing, auditing and tracing the main responsibilities of all levels of governments. 

-     Further optimize the organizational structure and operational mechanism of government. Shenzhen and other places will be encouraged to take the lead in exploring the “giant department” system in governmental structure following the requirement that the decisive, executive and supervising authorities will constrain and coordinate each other. When the condition gets mature, the system will be spread to the Pearl River Delta and the whole province.  Some eligible places will be selected to experiment the scientific, standard, and legalized management of organizational establishment and to experiment the mechanism for the coordination and constraint between organizational establishment on one side and financial budget and personnel management on the other so as to achieve reasonable organizational and personnel establishment for the administrative concern.  To meet the needs of economic development, eligible places will be selected for rational adjustment of administrative division. The system of direct provincial administration of counties will be experimented, and the authority of the county governments in economic and social administration will be further expanded. The organizational reform of the towns and townships will be actively implemented. Following the principle of increasing the authority of towns, the central towns with a certain population scale and economic strength will be assigned part of the county-level authority for social and economic administration; the towns intimately related to the seat of the county government, when the condition matures, will be reformed into agencies of the county government; the super towns with a large scale and a high urbanization level will be consolidated into districts of prefecture-level cities. The system for the administration of the social undertaking stations and offices of towns will be innovated, and a new system of socialized agricultural services will be created.  

-      Improve the administration and service methods of government. The reform of the administrative review and approval system will be deepened, the reexamination and adjustment of the approval items will be continued, and the administrative review and approval will be further reduced and standardized. Zhongshan will be supported to undertake the reform trial with innovative review and approval patterns. The way of enterprise registration will be improved, and informing and pledging method will be experimented. The Pearl River Delta will conduct the reform of administrative undertaking fees, reduce the categories of fees, and take the lead in adopting the “zero-fee” review and approval system. It will establish and perfect the trans-department and interrelated e-government platform, and actively exercise online office and online processing of government affairs. It will improve the administrative supervision system, and expedite the networking of the electronic supervision systems of the provincial, city, county, and town levels. It will facilitate the transparency of government work, improve the system of publicizing government information, and bring into full play the role of government information in guiding social and economic activities and the production, living, and services of the masses. It will enhance administrative planning and guidance, expand the commissioned and purchased services and contractual management, implement modern administration, lower administrative costs, and raise working efficiency. And it will fundamentally reform the ways of government administration so that it can be standardized, orderly, open, transparent, accessible, and efficient.  

-      The region, following the requirement for union of responsibility, right, and benefit, will formulate an urban management system with relatively centralized management of specific sectors and rather localized general management. It will consolidate the resources of administrative law enforcement, institute an integral system for it, reduce its layers, and avoid overlapping operations by different departments. It will introduce the mechanisms for information sharing and joint action among related sectors of the government. It will complete the dispute and coordination mechanism for administrative law enforcement, and perfect the systems of responsibility, assessment and examination, and responsibility tracing concerning administrative law enforcement. It will further the reform of urban utility undertakings, establish diversified investment mechanisms and standard and efficient operational mechanisms, and gradually open up the market of building and running utilities. And it will innovate the regulatory mode for utility undertakings, and frame a regulation and evaluation system jointly participated by three organically combined parties, namely, the government, the public, and the society. 

2. Deepen Reform of Economic System 

-      The reform of rural economic system. The region will stabilize and complete the basic economic system of countryside, stabilize and sustain the existing land contract system, and formulate relevant accessory policies. It will foster new types of peasant cooperatives, vigorously develop specialized peasant cooperatives, and construct diversified systems of socialized agricultural services. It will actively carry out the reform 

of the collective forest ownership system, and establish the status of peasants as market players. It will enthusiastically foster and develop the market of the rights of contracting rural land, and support eligible places to develop diversified scale economy. It will spare no effort in executing the work of confirming and certifying the rights of rural land, administer the collection, reexamination, sharing and assembly of various registration materials of rural land, and provide the inquiry services about rural land registration results. It will continue deepening the reform of land expropriation system, gradually narrow the scope for land expropriation, perfect the compensation mechanism for land expropriation, abide by the laws in acquiring the collectively owned rural land, grant reasonable indemnities to the rural collectives and peasants following the principle of the same price for the same land, in a timely manner, and in full amount, and provide employment, housing, and social insurance for peasants whose land has been expropriated. It will speed the circulation and transfer of the use rights of the construction land of rural collectives, gradually unify the price of such land with that of state-owned land, and develop a unified land market for urban and rural areas; It will innovate the system for housing lot management, tighten the control of housing lots, and assure the usufructuary rights of the housing lots of rural households. It will experiment linking the increase of urban construction land and the decrease of rural construction land, and optimize the structure and layout of land use. It will complete the system of ensuring agricultural investment. It will establish a new mechanism for constructing village-level public utilities under government guidance and with multi-channel investments, and formulate the “one decision for one issue” methods of granting awards and subsidies to the construction of village-level public utilities. And it will recast the foundation of rural credit, and create new roads of rural financial services. Huizhou, Foshan, and Zhongshan will be supported to undertake the trial of the comprehensive reform for integrated urban and rural development. 

-      The reform of financial and investment systems. The region, according to the requirements imposed by the equality of basic public services and the construction of the major functional region, will complete and perfect its public finance system. It will explore building a financial management system by which budget compilation, budget implementation, and budget supervision and review constrain and coordinate with each other. It will complete the system of matching financial power and administrative authority, and smooth the income distribution relations among different levels of public finance. It will adjust the structure of government expenditures, and favor the sectors that can help to boost the equality of basic public services. It will add the factors that can increase the features of the major functional region, and complete the transfer payment methods. It will reform the methods of distributing public finance funds, and establish and improve the mechanism of obtaining public finance funds in a systematically sound, open and transparent way. It will improve the management of investment projects, and expand local authority for project review and approval. And it will ameliorate the system for government investment management, standardize the investing behaviors of government, and conduct the trial of publicizing government investment projects.  

-      The reform and innovation of finance. The region will be allowed to conduct unprecedented experiments with financial reform and innovation, and establish a comprehensive experimental area for these purposes. The region will support the eligible enterprises to issue corporate bonds, and foster equity investment institutions. It will establish pilot fund for venture capital, and develop the venture capital sector. It will innovate the financing modes for medium and small firms, actively set up credit guarantee funds for medium and small enterprises and regional re-guarantee institutions, and develop small-sum lending companies and equity companies investing in small and medium firms. It will steadily carry out the trial with the integral operation in the financial industry. It will safely undertake and innovate the transactions of RMB-denominated foreign exchange derivatives, and facilitate the foreign exchange risk management of various economic entities.  It will research the opening of the short-term export credit insurance market, expand the coverage of export credit insurance, and support the development and expansion of the enterprises oriented toward foreign markets. Under the framework of the reform of national foreign exchange administration, the region will further reform the foreign exchange administration for foreign investment, and select appropriate enterprises to experiment RMB-denominated international settlement.  And it will complete the mechanisms for internal control and risk prevention, stiffen financial regulation, and prevent and resolve financial risks.  

-      The reform of enterprise system. The region will learn the experiences of advanced countries for state-owned enterprise management, and innovate the modes of state-assets operation and supervision. It will perfect the mechanism for the rational entry, exit and flow of state capital, speed up the adjustment of the layout and structure of state-owned economy, actively promote the reform of state-owned enterprises into joint-stock companies, energetically develop the economy of mixed ownership, boost the systematic reform and public listing of whole state-owned enterprises, and further enhance the dynamic, control and influence of state-owned enterprises. It will facilitate the concentration of state-owned assets in critical sectors, pillar industries, and pioneering industries. It will establish the modern enterprise system, and improve the legal person governance structure. It will reform and improve the talent selection and appointment system for the operation and management of state-owned enterprises, and establish a market of professional managers. It will put in place a risk management system for nationwide state-owned enterprises. It will explore developing multiple forms of new-type collective economy. It will carry out the reform of collective enterprise through capital transfer, equity structure adjustment, enterprise consolidation, and other effective way. It will arduously develop private economy, broaden the sectors and reduce the limits for the investment by non-state-owned enterprises, and rationally guide private investment into financial services, public utilities, and infrastructure construction. And it will encourage the reform of non-state-owned enterprises and establish a modern legal person governance structure to attain development and expansion. 

-      Perfection of market environment. The region will speed up the reform of the prices of resource products and factors including electricity, oil, natural, gas, water and mineral, and establish a price formation mechanism that reflects supply-demand status, rarity degree of resources, and environmental costs.。It will reform the land supply system, perfect the bidding, auction, and listing systems of business land, and underpin the fundamental role of market in configuring land resources. It will further break administrative monopoly and regional blockade, and advance market integration. It will facilitate the reform of the water administration system. It will perfect the market regulation system combining administrative law enforcement, self-disciplining of industries, media supervision, and public participation. It will innovate the market regulation mode, and improve the regulatory mechanism linking administrative law enforcement with judicial administration. It will normalize the market order, and improve the mechanism for product quality regulation. It will expedite the construction of the social credit system, and establish and improve the real name credit information system based on organizational codes and identification card codes. It will set up and complete the warning, penalty, and early warning mechanisms of enterprise credit, and create a social atmosphere of honesty and credit. It will explore opening up the credit market to an appropriate degree. And it will reexamine and perfect the existing policies and regulations, regulate the economic order of the market, and create a stable and regular policy and legal environment. 

3. Advance Reform of Social Management 

-      Improve the social management system, and innovate the social management mode. The region will borrow the advanced experiences from advanced countries and regions, and continuously improve the structure of public management. It will carry on the reform of grassroots social management system, and straighten the relationship between government and urban rural autonomous governance organizations. It will consolidate social management resources, and strengthen the functions of grassroots autonomous management. It will improve community management system, and institute the mechanism of public resources sharing and the mechanism of integral management. It will create innovative modes that combine public security management with urban management, market regulation, and industrial administration. It will first accomplish the classification and reform of social undertaking institutions. It will form a multiple-channel mode of supplying public services, by which they may be provided directly or purchased by government or provided by social organizations as commissioned by the government. It will encourage social organizations and enterprises to participate in the provision of public services, and increase the capabilities and efficiency of public services. It will actively foster volunteer teams. It will simplify the registration procedures for social organizations. And it will support Zhuhai and other cities to undertake the trial of the comprehensive reform of social management. 

-      Adjust income distribution. The region will adjust the structure of national income distribution, gradually increase the proportion of the incomes of resident, and increase the share of salaries in the primary distribution. It will introduce the mechanism that adapts the minimum salary standard to economic growth and price rise. It will set up and improve the systems of collective salary bargaining, minimum salary, salary payment assurance, guiding salary levels, and enterprise salaries survey, energetically raise the salary levels of low-income laborers, and gradually elevate the income levels of retirees. It will increase the financial and transfer-payment incomes of urban and, especially, rural residents. It will establish and improve a long-term effective mechanism for ensuring the sustainable growth of peasant incomes. And it will strengthen the adjustment of income distribution, and gradually narrow the income gaps among different social stratums.  

-      Advance the reform of household registration system. The region will practice uniform household registration and administration of urban and rural residents. It will reform and adjust the household relocation system, and gradually include the migrant population in the local social management. It will promote the innovation of the system of migrant population service and management, relax the conditions for gaining a household registration in medium and small cities, and orderly transform the peasants working and living regularly in cities into urban residents. It will adapt to the needs of industry transformation and upgrade, and perfect the policy on granting household registration to migrant employees with a medium and higher level of professional qualification. It will explore and perfect the accumulative performance assessment of migrant population, and guide them to assimilate into the cities where they work and live. It will universally adopt the system of residence certificate and “all-purpose certificate”, and strengthen the service to and management of migrant population. And it will perfect the system for the registration and management of foreigners and overseas Chinese living in Guangdong.  

4. Advance Construction of Democratic and Legal Systems 

-      Arduously forge legalized government. The government will govern according to law, standardize its law enforcement behavior, strictly conform to the statutory authority and procedures, and safeguard the authoritativeness of law. It will cultivate the legal notions of power and responsibility interdependence, supervision of power application, compensation for infringing of rights, and investigation of legal violation, enhance the senses of public servants of law and responsibilities, and widely implement the responsibility system for administrative law enforcement. And it will quicken the implementation of government work transparency, advance the law enforcement functions, intensify supervision of law enforcement, and explore establishing a scientific and precise system for the evaluation of rule of law. The region will promote judicial transparency, assure judicial fairness, and strengthen judicial relief and legal assistance. It will explore improving the legislative methods, establish a system of drafting laws and regulations in diverse channels, and explore effective ways of systematically perfecting the procedures of legislation drafting, consulting, and commenting. It will set up the systems and mechanisms, such as legislation hearing, that expand the orderly civil participation into politics. And it will establish the systems for post-legislation evaluations and the periodic reexamination of existing laws and regulations.  

-      Promote scientific and democratic decision making. The region will improve the rules and procedures for making major decisions. It will perfect the systems of collective decision on major issues, expert consultation, public participation, and decision making evaluation. It will establish the feedback and correction systems and the responsibility tracing system for decision making. It will perfect the systems on the political supervision, participation and evaluation by the people’s representatives and CPPCC members and their liaison with the voters. It will complete, and systemize and standardize, the rules and procedures on soliciting for the opinions of the democratic parties and the personages without partisan affiliation. It will expand orderly civil participation into politics, and guide citizens to exercise their rights and perform their duties according to law. It will tighten media and propaganda supervision, and fully tap the role of the Internet in supervision; It will enhance the research and formulation of scientific procedures of decision making, and assure the legal rights of the citizens as to political information, expression, participation, and supervision. And it will complete and develop grassroots democracy, and assure wider and more substantial democratic rights for urban and rural residents. 

5. Fully Exert Pioneering Role of Special Economic Zones in Reform and Opening Up 

The special economic zones are a banner of the national reform and opening-up effort. In this new historic era, the special economic zones will carry forward the brave spirit of pioneering, exploration, reform, and innovation, bravely act as the vanguard in deepening the reform and opening-up work and creating new system and mechanism advantages, play a role as the window, experimental field, model, and leading force in advancing the reform and opening-up campaign in the Pearl River Delta and nationwide, and lead the country in ideological liberation, reform and opening up, exercise of the scientific outlook on development, and construction of socialist harmonious society. The special economic zones, specially Shenzhen Overall Reform Pilot Zone, will formulate general plans for the overall reform, gradually implement the reform, be allowed to undertake experiments in tackling the hard problems of the reform, and first make breakthroughs in certain key areas and critical links. 

XI. Creation of New Situation for Opening-up and Cooperation 

Further tapping its “window” role and utilizing as the important platforms the cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, the pan-Pearl River Delta regional cooperation, and China-ASEAN cooperation, the region will strenuously advance its opening-up to the outside world and the other regions in China, increase its connections with the world’s major economies, actively participate in international division of labor, and take the lead in establishing a new and open economic pattern that   covers all aspects, multiple layers and diverse sectors and has a high quality. 

1. Elevate Level of Economic Openness 

-      Innovate the developmental pattern of foreign trade. The region will play a leading and demonstrative role for the country in optimizing the export structure, depending on quality for success, and shifting from the current focus of foreign trade on goods to emphasis on both goods and services. It will actively promote the transformation of foreign trade modes, tap global resources, internationalize the industry chains, and develop high-end trade. And it will encourage the extension of the industrial chain of processing trade companies, assist a batch of scaled and advantaged processing trade enterprises to realize the transformation from producing for other brands and commissioning designing work to others to cultivating their own brands, strengthen the abilities of designing, R&D, and brand marketing, increase the share of domestic marketing, and be supported to establish a national demonstration zone for the transformation and upgrade of processing trade enterprises. The state will scientifically plan and rationally establish special customs supervision areas and free trade supervision networks and stations, support the sustainable and healthy development of the free trade processing and logistics industries in the Pearl River Delta, and consider the establishment of a comprehensive free trade area at Baiyun Airport in the course of planning special customs supervision zones. The region will vigorously develop service trade industries including finance, software, and culture, and establish a number of international service outsourcing bases. It will take the lead in adopting the internationally acceptable standards on quality, safety, environment, technologies, and labor, speed up the construction of 

“electronic ports”, and standardize, internationalize and facilitate customs check and inspection. Service trade will account for 20% of total volume of import and export in 2012, and 40% in 2020.  

-      Raise the level of foreign investment utilization. The region will actively attract the world’s top 500 enterprises and the global leaders of various industries, and strictly restrict the access by low-level, high-pollution, and high-energy-consumption foreign investment projects. It will guide foreign capital into hi-tech industries, modern services, research and development, and centralized operational management, and promote international cooperation in the energy, transportation, logistics, and tourism sectors. It will actively conduct experimental Sino-foreign equity joint venture and cooperation in the financial, education, medical and cultural sectors. It will guide and encourage overseas excellent talents to come to undertake business and invest. And it will realize the transformation of its utilization of foreign investment, from emphasizing capital to emphasizing advanced technologies, managerial experiences and high-caliber talents, and from emphasizing manufacturing to emphasizing both manufacturing and services. 

-      Expedite implementing the “go out” strategy. The region will encourage eligible enterprises to set up manufacturing bases, marketing centers, R&D institutions, and economic and trade cooperation zones in foreign countries, and undertake cooperative exploitation of overseas resources, international labor service cooperation, and international engineering contracting, and purchase foreign small and medium enterprises, R&D institutions, and marketing networks that have critical technologies. And it will improve the mechanism of overall coordination of the “go out” efforts of enterprises, establish convenient and effective domestic supporting systems concerning fundraising, foreign exchange review, entry and exit of personnel, customs clearance of goods, inspection and quarantine, and project management, and also establish offshore assurance systems concerning consular protection, risk prevention, information exchange, and government coordination. In 2020, the region will foster 10 native multinational corporations of which each earns an annual sales revenue of over 20 billion dollars. 

-      Try to create a standardized and internationalized business environment. The region will rationally utilize international practices and rules, actively participate in the formulation of international rules and standards, and take the initiative to establish corresponding systems and mechanisms. It will cement the spirit of contract, the notion of rule of law, and the sense of commercial credit, establish a sound legal system, a transparent and stable commercial system, and standardized mechanism for business dispute settlement, and cultivate professional talents of finance, law, and accounting who are familiar with international rules. And it will provide convenient and efficient services for enterprise registration, business licensing, talent recruitment, property rights registration, and cross-border transaction, protect the rights and interests of investors, and, together with Hong Kong and Macao, build one of the best regions for global business. 

-      Actively prevent international economic risks. The region will establish the mechanisms for early warning and prevention of international economic risks, and take the initiative to cope with and prevent such risks; will complete the mechanism for the monitoring and early warning of cross-border money flows. And it will take active caution against the risks caused by international financial cooperation and innovation, transnational industrial mergers and acquisitions, adjustment of international industrial and technological standards, international trade disputes, fluctuation of foreign exchange rates, and fluctuation of international resource and energy prices. 

2. Engage in Closer Cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao 

-      Advance the convergence of major infrastructures. Following the principle of mutual benefit and enhancement, the Pearl River Delta will strengthen its cooperation and coordination with Hong Kong and 

Macao to bring into play each other’s advantages. The region is supported to pursue convergence with Hong Kong and Macao in terms of urban planning, rail transit networks, information networks, energy base networks, and urban water supply. The region will expedite the construction of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong passenger railway, start at an early date the construction of certain infrastructures, such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the expressway traversing the east of Shenzhen, and the expressway linking the western passages of Hong Kong, actively carry out the planning and construction of the Liantang/Xiangyuanwei border port, and actively implement other cooperative projects including the cooperation between the airports of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The cooperation concerning the construction, operation and management of ports, wharfs, and airports will be supported. And the joint planning and implementation of the highlighted “bay area” action plan covering the Pearl River mouth will be supported. The region will actively undertake customs cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao, deepen the reform of customs clearance operations, explore the mechanism of mutual recognition and sharing of monitoring results, and intensify the cooperation in cracking down on smuggling and protecting intellectual properties. The facilitation of the personnel movement among Guangdong Province and the Hong Kong and Macao regions will be encouraged, and the “144-hour visa-free visit” measure will be optimized. 

-      Strengthen industrial cooperation. Full support will be given to the processing trade enterprises invested in the Pearl River Delta by Hong Kong and Macao to boost their transformation and upgrade effort to extend their industrial chains and reorient to modern service industries and advanced manufacturing industries. The region will also support the smooth transition of labor-intensive enterprises, and assist the firms invested by Hong Kong to explore the domestic market so as to strengthen their abilities to cope with the radical changes of the external environment. And it will deepen and solidly enforce the CEPA between the mainland and the Hong Kong and Macao regions, and conduct experimental work with Hong Kong and Macao. The state will support the cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in developing the service industry, and solidify the status of Hong Kong as an international center of finance, trade, shipping, logistics, and services with high added value and that of Macao as a global center of tourism and recreation. The region will pursue staggered development, and strengthen its cooperation with the financial industries of Hong Kong and Macao. The state will support the stable and healthy development of the RMB business of the banks in Hong Kong and Macao, and conduct trials of RMB denomination and settlement for the trade with Hong Kong and Macao. The state will encourage the three sides to realize joint development of the international logistics, convention and exhibition, cultural, and tourism industries; will heighten their mutual recognition of the professional qualifications for the banking, securities, insurance, appraisal, accounting, law, education, and medical service industries in order to create the conditions for developing service industries. The state will support the enterprises in the Pearl River Delta to finance through their listing on the stock market of Hong Kong. And the state will support their innovative science and technology cooperation, and establish innovative mechanisms for the cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, and Zhuhai and Macao. The cooperation zones, including Guangzhou Nansha New Area, the Qianhai and Houai areas of Shenzhen, the border areas between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, Zhuhai Hengqin New Area, and cross-border cooperation area between Zhuhai and Macao, will be planned and constructed as vehicles for enhanced cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao in service and hi-tech industries. The state will encourage Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to bring into play their respective advantages and complement each other and jointly participate in international competition.  

-      Jointly build a high-quality living community. The three sides are encouraged to cooperate on education, medical services, social insurance, culture, emergency management, and protection of intellectual properties, and conveniences will be provided for people from Hong Kong and Macao to work and live in the Mainland. The cooperation on special technical talents will be promoted. The cooperative mechanisms for the three sides on epidemics information exchange and joint control and prevention, the emergency cooperation mechanism to deal with unexpected public health events, and the mechanism for collaborative investigation of health incidents of food and agricultural produce will be perfected. The state will support the three sides to establish labor relation coordination mechanism and to jointly build the greater Pearl River Delta into a green and high-quality living community. It will encourage them to establish mechanisms for joint prevention and control of pollution and to jointly deal with environmental pollution, build cross-border ecological reserves, and protect water-collecting areas of reservoirs. It will also support Guangdong and Hong Kong to conduct joint research and development of clean energy and renewable resources, cooperate on clean production, and construct profitable networks of energy supply and marketing; It will ensure the good quality and safety of the agricultural produce and water supplied to Hong Kong and Macao; will support the three places to cooperate in implementing clean energy policies, and gradually adopt unified standards on car fuel, vessel fuel, and emission that are the most advanced in the country, so as to improve the air quality of the Pearl River Delta. And it will support the development of circular economy in the Pearl River Delta, encourage the trio cooperation on material reclamation, recycling, and conversion of waste into resources, and research the mode for cooperation on waste management.    

-      Innovate cooperation modes. The consultation and coordination with Hong Kong and Macao will be strengthened to facilitate the cooperation on economic and social development. The state will support Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to expand their autonomy in the consultation for cooperation as guided by the related departments of the central government. It will encourage them to formulate regional cooperation plans through consultation and agreement. It will perfect the joint meetings of administrative chiefs between Guangdong and Hong Kong and between Guangdong and Macao, and increase the actual effect of such meetings. And it will follow the principle of market domination and government guidance, bring into further play the roles of enterprises and social organizations, and encourage the academic and business circles to establish various forms of cooperation and exchange mechanisms.  

3. Elevate Levels of Cooperation with Taiwan 

By means of the existing Taiwan-invested enterprises in the Pearl River Delta, the region will further expand its economic and trade cooperation with Taiwan, and broaden the scope of cooperation. It will support the establishment of various exchange mechanisms, expand the nongovernmental exchanges through associations and commerce chambers, and encourage the economic and trade talks, cooperation forums, and business investigation missions. It will strengthen its cooperation with Taiwan in the fields of economy, trade, high technology, advanced manufacturing, modern agriculture, tourism, scientific and technological innovation, education, medicine, social insurance, and culture. It will heighten the cross-strait agricultural cooperation, and facilitate the construction of the business undertaking park for Taiwanese peasants at Jinwan, Zhuhai and the cross-strait agricultural cooperation pilot zone in Foshan. It will actively create good life and business environment for Taiwanese businesspeople, and encourage the founding of schools for their children and the establishing of relevant mechanisms on medical services and work injury insurance; And it will encourage the eastern areas of Guangdong to tap their geographical and cultural advantages to develop trade with Taiwan, and elevate the level of the economic and trade cooperation with Taiwan. 

4. Deepen Cooperation of Pan Pearl River Delta Region 

The pan-Pearl River Delta regional cooperation will be included in the national strategy for regional coordinative development, and will be carried to greater depth, so as to facilitate the mutual enhancement, beneficial interaction, and coordinative development among the eastern, central and western regions. In this greater region, the state and the related local governments will provide stronger guidance and coordination, continuously improve cooperation mechanisms and rules, innovate cooperation modes, explore establishing project responsibility team and other methods, and ensure the actual effect of cooperation. They will facilitate the flow of productive factors such as capital, technology, talent, information, and resources, and promote regional cooperation regarding industries. They will speed up the construction of inter-province passages, and form a comprehensive transportation network with the Pearl River Delta as the core and connecting the fringe areas. They will continue the energy cooperation that highlights the “west-to-east power transmission”, and construct a complete power transmission network. They will push forward the ecological and environmental construction, and enhance the regional cooperation on water source protection and pollution prevention and control. They will undertake cooperation on science and technology, talent, intellectual property protection, and tourism, and establish the platforms for the regional cooperation on technology, human resources, and barrier-free tourism zones. They will quicken the construction of information infrastructure, and facilitate the cooperation in electronic commerce. And they will take the initiative to abolish the administrative blockades, establish the mechanisms for sharing credit information of enterprises, joint law enforcement, joint action for safeguarding rights, and mutual recognition of testing and inspection results, and support the formation of a fair, open, standardized, and unified greater market of the region. 

5. Enhance Cooperation with ASEAN and Other International Economic Regions 

The Pearl River Delta will conduct cooperation with international economic regions and emerging markets at multiple levels, in multiple ways, and in multiple fields, and bring about a situation of diversified international economic and trade cooperation. Under the framework agreement on China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, it will support the effort to set up dialogue and coordination mechanisms, and relationships of friendship provinces, states, and cities, with relevant organizations of ASEAN countries, encourage nongovernmental dialogues and exchanges, hold economic and trade fairs, and expand cultural exchanges. It will support the cooperation with advanced ASEAN countries like Singapore in the fields of economy, technology, industrial park management, and talent training. It will encourage the enterprises with financial and technological advantages to conduct cooperation in ASEAN countries on resource exploitation, product marketing, infrastructure construction, cultivation and processing of agricultural produce, and breeding and processing of aquatic products, encourage the preponderant industries to expand into the ASEAN countries, and expand the export to ASEAN. It will encourage tourism cooperation with ASEAN, and introduce the mechanism for tourist visa facilitation. It will expand the cooperation with EU and NAFTA on economy, technology, talent, and trade, energetically develop the emerging markets, including India, Russia, Brazil, and the Middle East region, strengthen the economic and trade cooperation with Australia, New Zealand, and the countries in South America and Africa, and create a situation of diversified international economic and trade cooperation.   And it will make full use of various cooperation platforms, including China (Guangzhou) Export Commodity Fair, China (Guangzhou) Small and Medium Enterprises Fair, China (Shenzhen) Hi-Tech Fair, Guangdong International Consulting Fair, and friendship provinces, states, and cities, and elevate the opening-up to and exchange with the outside world to higher levels. 

XII. Mechanism for Securing Plan Implementation  

Guangdong Province and the related departments of the central government will fully understand the great significance of promoting the reform and development of the Pearl River Delta region, substantially strengthen the leadership and organization of the implementation of this Plan, perfect the mechanism for its implementation, and ensure its smooth implementation. 

1. Strengthen Organization and Leadership 

Guangdong Province and the related departments of the State Council will substantially strengthen the organization and leadership for the implementation of this Outline Plan, formulate implementation plans, clarify tasks, perfect working mechanisms, and specify responsibilities. They will compile special-purpose plans for key areas under the guidance of relevant departments of the central government. They will quickly organize and carry out the related projects according to the functional positioning and developmental priorities specified in this Outline Plan. They will start with resolving the most urgent, prominent, and significant issues, substantiate the measures, and thus lay a foundation for the smooth implementation of the Outline Plan. And, in the process of implementing the Outline Plan, they will study the new conditions, solve the new problems, summarize the new experiences, and report any major problem to the State Council in a timely manner.  

2. Enhance Integration and Coordination 

The related departments of the State Council will strengthen their guidance to the implementation of the Outline Plan according to their respective responsibilities. They will formulate their respective specific measures in accordance with the requirements of this Outline Plan to support the reform and development of the Pearl River 

Delta region, provide enthusiastic support to this effort in the aspects of plan compilation, policy enforcement, project deployment, and system innovation, and perform their organizing and coordinating roles. And they will enhance the inter-departmental communication and coordination, and provide guidance and help to local governments in solving the problems occurring in the process of implementing the Outline Plan. 

3. Stiffen Supervision and Inspection 

The National Development and Reform Commission and relevant departments will strengthen the dynamic analysis of the status of the implementation of this Outline Plan, and will earnestly supervise and inspect the execution of various tasks and the enforcement of the policies and measures. They will work with the People’s Government of Guangdong Province to organize periodic appraisal of the implementation of the Plan, and report the results to the State Council. And they will perfect the social supervision mechanism, and encourage the public to actively participate in, and supervise, the implementation of the Plan.   

To realize further reform and development of the Pearl River Delta region in this new period and this new stage is a glorious mission, a challenging task, and a great responsibility. We will seize the opportunity provided by the implementation of the Outline Plan, motivate the masses, invigorate our spirit, liberate our thinking, strive for progress and success in a pioneering spirit and with utmost efforts, boost the effort of the Pearl River Delta region to create a new situation, achieve new successes, and attain new glory, facilitating the great historic procession of China’s reform and development and socialist modernization drive.