At the 2022 economic work conference of the 5 southeast coastal provinces held by the State Council, the 5 southeast coastal provinces are requested to continue to take on major responsibilities and play a greater role in China's economy.
As the economic core of the nation, the 5 southeastern provinces play a pivotal role in China's economic development. Whether it is the external circulation or the internal circulation, the 5 southeastern provinces are located at the center and node position. Internally, the 5 southeastern provinces attract a large working population from the central and western regions, and transfer some industries to the central and western regions during the process of industrial upgrading. Externally, the 5 southeastern provinces utilize the capital and advanced technology of developed countries for production, and ultimately enter the international market to sell their products globally.
Since the Southern Song Dynasty, the position of Southeast China as the center of China's economy has not changed. The reasons why the 5 southeastern provinces have become the economic center include the historical path dependence, the natural environmental factors such as climate and ocean, the changes in economic and geographical conditions, the development of international trade and the accumulation of opening-up since the Southern Song Dynasty, the endogenous marketization and the continuous integration into the world, as well as the entrepreneurship and respect for commercial civilization.
A strong southeast makes a strong China. The southeast region need to have greater achievements in the Chinese path to modernization.
