By Lan Xinzhen

The Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee and the State Council on July 15 jointly released a guideline to uphold high-level reform and opening up in Pudong New Area in Shanghai， proposing to turn Pudong into an attractive district boasting creativity， competitiveness， and influence by 2050. The area is going to act as a global example in terms of high-quality and high-efficiency urban management.

This guideline signals that the second centenary goal of the CPC， which aims to forge a great modern socialist country that is prosperous， strong， democratic， culturally advanced， harmonious and beautiful by the middle of the century， is being taken from blueprint to reality.

The perks of Pudong

Located in the east of Shanghai and at the eastern edges of the Yangtze River Delta， Pudong is positioned at the estuary of the Yangtze River. In April 1990， the Central Government decided to develop Pudong， making it a new area with special economic policies.

Thanks to three decades of hard work， the former farmlands have been replaced by an advanced modern city boasting welldeveloped facilities and functions. The development of Pudong suggests that China is further opening up its cities aligning the Yangtze River. When Shanghai grows into an international economic， financial and trade center， other cities nearby and along the Yangtze River， too， will be able to ride the tide. In this sense， Pudong is a highlight and symbol of Chinas reform and opening up.

Three decades on， China now enters the new stage of building a great modern socialist country in all respects， facing complex variables. No experience can be drawn on to deal with the unprecedented mission. Thus， there must be a pilot zone that serves as a vanguard， offering its experiences and answering questions from other areas that encounter difficulties in their modernization drive.

Then why has Pudong specifically been selected to serve this purpose？

Pudong has had the resources to realize high-quality development since the 1990s. As the largest economic center of China， Shanghai is tasked with developing itself into an international economic， financial， trade， shipping， and sci-tech innovation stronghold. Pudong， in turn， is expected to be the major player in the achievement of these five goals.

Pudong is equipped with a number of advantages essential for high-level economic development. Take the example of advanced core technology—a sector vital to modernization that can only be independently developed by China. Pudong is cracking nuts in term of advanced technology， such as high-end integrated circuit components， as well as basic software and hardware.