Given the increasing pressure of economic globalization, regional economic integration is surfacing as an irresistible trend in the area, but it needs more central government involvement to improve coordination among concerned levels of government, experts said.

This idea was voiced in an international symposium, which kicked off yesterday, drawing more than 140 experts, scholars, top company executives, overseas Chinese students and government officials from home and abroad.

A biennial event organized by the Shanghai Chinese Overseas Friendship Association and the Shanghai Overseas Returned Scholars Association, the symposium aims to take advantage of domestic and overseas expertise to aid the development of Shanghai and related areas.

"According to our latest development blueprint, future layout of urban functions and the construction of key projects in Shanghai should take into account the development needs of the cities in the Yangtze Delta area," said Shanghai Mayor Chen Liangyu.

This is also a natural choice for the city, experts said.

Official statistics indicate that the area, generally seen as encompassing Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces as well as Shanghai, generated a combined gross domestic product (GDP) volume of more than 9,593 billion yuan (US$1,155 billion) in 2001, accounting for over one-fifth of the national total.

"We urgently need a comprehensive management mechanism to ensure well-coordinated development of the area," said Wu Liangyong, a professor from Tsinghua University, referring to respective regional interests that may result in veiled market rivalry among concerned parties.

(China Daily July 26, 2002)