Uneven Development and Beyond: Regional Development Theory in Post-Mao China*

From Maoist redistributive policies to Deng’s uneven development model to the current Ninth Five-Year Plan (1996–2000), Chinese regional policy has undergone several decades of trials, adjustments and readjustments. During the first three decades of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), investments were diverted from the more developed coastal areas to the poorer interior, in order to ‘correct’ the inherent uneven regional development, to tap inland raw materials and resources, and for national defense purposes (Falkenheim, 1985; Yang, 1990). Post-Mao evaluations of these redistributive policies criticized their neglect of economic efficiency and their failure to accelerate national economic growth. Then, Deng’s rise to power brought about a stark reversal of regional development priorities. Specifically, the coastal region is designated to be developed first, with a host of open zones set aside for foreign investment and rapid economic growth. Deng’s uneven development policy has led to a widening development gap between the coastal areas and the interior, contradicting Mao’s attempt to narrow regional disparities but has indeed contributed to strong national economic growth. Yet the debate on regional development continues. Since the mid-1980s, criticisms of the uneven development policy have become more severe and alarming, culminating in the current Ninth Five-Year Plan, which advocates once again that investments be increased in inland areas. The debates and shifts of Chinese regional policy are a product of politics as well as the prevailing philosophies and theories of development. This paper emphasizes the latter. While most existing studies focus on policy and outcome, a better understanding of the logic behind Chinese regional policy and its shifts requires scrutiny of prevailing and influential ideas. The best source of these ideas is the Chinese literature on regional development. This is especially so because many Chinese researchers are also planners or advisors of regional policies and projects. Their work reflects the very debates that occupy policy-makers, and plays an important role in the adjustments and readjustments of regional policy. English-language research on the post-Mao period tends to focus on