China has decided to start official planning on the development of the nation's economically dynamic Yangtze River Delta region, reported the China Daily Saturday.

The National Development and Reform Commission will work out within its 11th Five Year Plan period (2006-2010) an overall and long-term plan on the regional integrative development for the delta areas, which covers Shanghai and parts of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces, said Jiangsu deputy governor Jiang Dingzhi at a provincial work conference Friday.

Jiang, together with Shanghai Vice-Mayor Zhou Yupeng and Zhejiang Deputy Governor Zhang Mengjin, were having a two-day discussion in Shanghai on regional co-operation attended by dozensof officials from the three areas.

"The state-level planning has been put on the agenda, and we need to co-operate with the central authority in this regard," Jiang was quoted as saying.

According to sources at the meeting, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang have reached a consensus that the current regional co-operation will focus on transportation, environmental protection, information, tourism and natural gas pipeline networking.

Jiang revealed that Jiangsu Province is considering building urban rail links between Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou in the southern part of the province, which will eventually extend to connect with Shanghai's urban railway.

The long-term goal is to build the delta region into the country's first and largest united market, which will have a free-flowing circulation of commodities, capital and human resources, Zhou said.

The Yangtze River Delta region accounts for two percent of China's total land space and 10 percent of its total population approximately, but contributed to 22 percent of the national grossdomestic product in 2002.

(People's Daily   November 1, 2003)