Dalian's growth in 40 years

Updated: Nov 6, 2018 Print

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Dalian, a city in Northeast China's Liaoning province, has witnessed booming development in the past 40 years thanks to China's reform and opening-up policy, with its gross domestic product (GDP) increasing from 4.21 billion yuan ($603.63 million) in 1978 to 736.39 billion yuan in 2017. Fiscal revenue rose from 489 million yuan in 1984 to 65.76 billion yuan in 2017.

Moreover, Dalian's foreign imports and exports topped 413.2 billion yuan in 2017, occupying 61.1 percent of Liaoning's total and 44.6 percent of the number of the three provinces in Northeast China (Liaoning, Heilongjiang and Jilin).

Dalian has expanded its export markets in neighboring countries to over 200 countries and regions around the world, taking up higher proportions in the United States, the European Union and emerging markets.

In general, Dalian's history of reform and opening-up can be divided into four periods.

From 1978 to 1984, the city shifted its focus to economic growth. It was approved as one of China's first coastal cities to open up and to establish the country's first economic and technological development zone in 1984.

Between 1984 and 1992, Dalian was committed to reforming its economic system. In 1985, it was listed as a pilot city for comprehensive economic reform. It conducted organizational reform in 1989 for better Party-government relationships. In 1990, Dalian outlined a strategic goal of building itself into a modern international city featuring high-level opening-up, attractive conditions, wide influence and complete functions.

From 1992 to 2012, Dalian made soaring development in the economy and society. The city called for changing traditional development concepts and studying Shenzhen and Jiaodong's experiences to develop new concepts suitable for a market economy. In 2003, the city launched measures to implement the central government's strategy to revitalize old industrial bases in Northeast China, and it also set the goal of building a beautiful, civilized, modern and international city.

Since 2012, Dalian has followed the new concept of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, and carried out the strategy of revitalizing old industrial bases. It has also striven to deepen reform and opening-up to inject new energy into the city's economic and social growth and push its development to new highs.