On February 21, 2023, the ninth session of the Chamber of Commerce of the provincial capital cities of the mid-Yangtze River urban agglomeration was held in the form of video to explore a new mechanism for coordinated development and jointly promote the high-quality development of the mid-Yangtze River urban agglomeration. This cooperation is the ninth time that the four provincial capitals have joined hands to form a new development pattern of accelerating the integration of the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River into the dual cycle.

Sign cooperation items

At the meeting, Wuhan, Changsha, Hefei, and Nanchang, the four provincial capitals, jointly signed the "Action Plan for Cooperation between the Provincial Capital Cities of the Middle Yangtze River Urban Agglomeration (2023-2025)", the "Framework Agreement for One-Code Regional Cooperation between the Provincial Capital Cities of the Middle Yangtze River Urban Agglomeration", and the "Framework Agreement for Regional Cooperation in Legal Services of the Provincial Capital Cities of the Middle Yangtze River Urban Agglomeration" and other documents, The four provincial capitals and 12 observer cities also jointly signed the "Key Cooperation Issues of the Midstream Yangtze River Urban Agglomeration in 2023" to promote the development of the Midstream Yangtze River Urban Agglomeration from cooperative action to coordinated development.

The Action Plan for Cooperation between Provincial Capital Cities of Cities in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River (2023-2025) proposes to give play to the leading role of the four provincial capital cities, and carry out key cooperation in eight major areas, such as joint development, joint construction of three-dimensional transportation, joint efforts to drive innovation, joint promotion of digital empowerment, sharing of high-quality services, joint construction of an orderly market, joint promotion of industrial linkage, and joint governance of the ecological environment, We will improve the status of urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in the national regional strategic pattern and promote the establishment of an overall coordination mechanism at the national level.

As for the key cooperation items in 2023, the meeting also carried out arrangements, involving a total of 40 specific items, including 28 trans-provincial cooperation items and 12 metropolitan cooperation items. Among the inter-provincial cooperation projects, the construction of transportation infrastructure is a major focus. In 2023, we will jointly strive to incorporate the railway projects from Wuhan to Nanchang, Wuhan to Guiyang, Wuhan to Anqing to Chizhou, Changsha to Anqing to Nanjing, and Anqing to Jingdezhen into the new round of national medium and long-term railway network development plan and short-term construction plan, and accelerate the construction of key projects such as Hefei-Wuhan high-speed railway and Hefei-Xiangkang high-speed railway.

Build an international comprehensive transport hub

Optimizing the layout of the rail transit system and densifying the regional highway network... The action plan proposes to jointly build three-dimensional transportation, build an interconnected and convenient urban agglomeration, build a convenient, smooth, economic, efficient, green, intensive, intelligent, safe and reliable modern comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network, promote the optimal allocation of regional resources, and build a national 123 travel transportation circle and a global 123 fast cargo logistics circle.

According to the action plan, on the one hand, we should accelerate the construction of Wuhan, Changsha and Hefei as international comprehensive transportation hubs. Promote the construction of a number of international and national hub ports and stations. On the other hand, we should accelerate the networking of rail transit, build an intercity rapid transit network with high-speed rail and intercity rail as the main body, and optimize the multi-level rail transit system. Jointly promote the interconnection of high-speed railway and intercity network in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, accelerate the construction of key projects such as the high-speed railway along the Yangtze River, Wuhan Hefei, Hefei Xiangyang Ankang high-speed railway, Hefei Chizhou intercity railway, and plan the intercity railway network between the provincial capital and surrounding cities.

In terms of improving the construction of cross-regional highway transportation network, Hefei will be promoted to build the Hefei section of Mingchao Expressway and the Hefei section of Shanghai-Wuhan Expressway, and accelerate the construction of G4222 and Xiangyang Expressway, S48 He-Liu South Expressway, S20 Changfeng-Gushi Expressway and other projects. We will promote the implementation of such projects as the Shanghai-Shaanxi Expressway, the Shanghai-Chengdu Expressway and the Huai-Tong Expressway.

The action plan proposes to improve the function of Hefei Xinqiao Airport as a regional hub airport and construct the reconstruction and expansion project of Hefei Xinqiao Airport. The construction and operation of Feidong Bailong General Airport will be completed, and the preliminary work of Feixi Binhu General Airport, Chaohu Lake, Changfeng and Lujiang General Airport will be promoted, and the construction of Feixi and Changfeng General Airport will be completed by 2025.

Promote the in-depth development of urban agglomeration

Wuhan, Changsha, Hefei and Nanchang are close geographical, cultural, human and development partners.

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has made an important deployment to promote the rapid rise of the central region and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and has injected strong impetus into the coordinated promotion of high-quality development of urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

In recent years, the four cities have comprehensively deepened cooperation in infrastructure, industrial development, scientific and technological innovation, ecological and environmental protection, public services and other fields, closely focusing on building an important growth pole in the country. The results of coordinated development are remarkable and encouraging.

As the pearl of the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the meeting proposed to actively promote the coordinated development of the four metropolitan areas of Wuhan, Changsha-Zhuzhou-Tan, Hefei and Nanchang, and promote cooperation around dialogue and exchange, consultation on major issues, and planning convergence.

The results of the cooperation and exploration of the four provincial capitals will release more cooperation dividends to 12 observer cities, including Huangshi, Yueyang, Anqing, Jiujiang, Huanggang, Zhuzhou, Tongling, Fuzhou, Xianning, Xiangtan, Lu'an, Yichun, and promote the coordinated and in-depth development of urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.Editor/Ma Xue