By Long Guoqiang, Zhang Qi, Luo Yuze, Shi Yaodong, Wang Jinzhao, Zhang Liping, Zhuo Xian, Xu Hongqiang, Zong Fangyu & Gao Qingpeng, Research Team on “The Development and Opening-up of Border Ports along the One Belt and One Road Routes”, DRC

Research Report, No.152, 2019 (Total 5652) 2019-9-2

Abstract: China’s border areas and border ports serve as hubs linking up China with the outside world, peace and stability of which constitute a cornerstone for the national sovereign integrity and security, thus playing a pivotal role in advancing China’s One Belt and One Road Initiative and boosting the endeavor to build a new landscape of all-around opening-up. As China reaches a higher level in economic development and opening-up, the issue of relatively slow pace of opening-up and development in border areas has become more urgent to be addressed. On one hand, an all-around, diversified opening-up landscape of border ports has taken shape and their infrastructure has been remarkably improved. But on the other hand, the border trade is seeing a sluggish performance, while the development of border provinces including autonomous regions is hindered by a low level of economic growth. Therefore, the door of border ports needs to be opened wider and the development model of border areas needs to be changed, in a bid to better practice the national strategy of making the border areas and the people become prosperous and fostering a harmonious and secure neighborly environment.

Key words: border areas, border ports, opening-up, status-quo