Breaking through the Constraints of Administrative Divisions and Expanding the Spatial Development of Metropolitan Economy

In order to fit the need of regional economic development and progress of industrialization and urbanization, China’s administrative divisions have been accordingly and constantly adjusted. During the transition period from the planned economy to the market economy, particularly in China’s east coastal area, administrative divisions have experienced frequent adjustments so as to break through the constraints of administrative divisions on economic development. Such as the measures of “removing county and establishing city, removing territorial region and establishing municipality plus municipality and territory merging, removing county (including county level city) and establishing district, adjusting municipal districts, transforming village into town and merging of villages and towns, transforming village and town into urban community, and so forth.” Among these adjustments of administrative divisions, the most representative cases include the changing of territorial region into municipality (the system city driving counties under jurisdiction) in 1983, the transformation from county into municipal district and adjustment of urban districts in the late 1990s. Adjusting administrative divisions, so as to fit the need of regional economic development and urbanization, concerns the geographically spatial reallocation of resources for urban development and is good for regional integration of industries and enhancing regional overall competitiveness (Wang Jianhua, 2003). It should follow the laws of market economy to adjust administrative divisions, no excessive use of administrative powers for the artificial adjustment of administrative divisions.