Recently, the "Yangtze River Delta Territorial Plan (2023–2035)" was formally approved by the State Council. As the Yangtze River Delta's first national-level territorial special plan, the document establishes programmatic guidance for the region's spatial development, ecological protection, and sustainable construction over the next decade-plus, marking the full-scale implementation of a higher-quality integrated development phase for the Yangtze River Delta.

Notably, the plan explicitly incorporates "Anhui elements" in multiple places, integrating Anhui's development demands into national top-level design. This helps achieve a historic upgrade in the province's strategic positioning and brings significant strategic opportunities for fully integrating into Yangtze River Delta integration and raising regional capabilities.

Leapfrog improvement in regional positioning — Hefei metropolitan area joins the "five core circles"

The plan elevates Hefei to join the five core metropolitan circles alongside Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ningbo, and the Suzhou–Wuxi–Changzhou cluster, signaling Hefei's formal entry into the core tier of Yangtze River Delta integrated development and a major upward shift in the region's spatial pattern.

Industrial development space continues to expand — a multi-node support pattern accelerates

The plan supports the construction of the G60 Science and Technology Innovation Corridor and the Hefei–Wuhu–Bengbu National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone, optimizes industry layouts along the Yangtze River, promotes spatial transformation and quality improvement in northern Anhui, and backs collaborative development in interprovincial border areas—providing spatial guarantees for integrating technological and industrial innovation.

Deep optimization of cultural-tourism integration — constructing a multi-format spatial system

The plan focuses on integrating the province's distinctive cultural and tourism resources into the overall Yangtze River Delta layout, strengthening coordinated protection of ecological and cultural resources in the Dabie Mountains of western Anhui and the southern Anhui–western Zhejiang mountainous areas, and supporting the enhancement of the spatial value of the Jianghuai lake clusters. By ensuring coordinated ecological and cultural tourism spaces across Zhejiang and Anhui and supporting the upgrading of characteristic cultural-tourism spaces such as Yellow River old-course, the plan promotes the transformation of historical and ecological resources into high-quality tourism products.

Comprehensive upgrade of infrastructure networks and resilience — significantly enhanced connectivity

The plan proposes river-sea linkage to facilitate inland access to rivers and the sea, coordinates the layout of basin flood control and drainage systems, improves the integrated transportation network, and supports optimization of the energy mix and information infrastructure—collectively strengthening the infrastructural and safety foundations for regional coordinated development.

Policy and institutional innovation unleashes vitality — constraints on factor flows effectively addressed

The plan grants room for multiple policy innovations, allowing exploration of cross-regional land policy experimentation to break constraints on factor mobility. It also proposes establishing a Yangtze River Delta territorial spatial digital governance system to promote joint construction, information sharing, and interoperability across the region—providing strong support for Anhui's deep integration into Yangtze River Delta digital integration.

Next steps — Anhui will use this plan as guidance to seize strategic opportunities, proactively connect with Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, and refine and implement various tasks. The province will earnestly convert the spatial advantages and policy dividends endowed by national strategy into tangible high-quality development outcomes, play a larger role in Yangtze River Delta integrated development, and strive to open a new chapter in building a modern, prosperous Anhui.

Source: anhuinews.com