Ｏｐｐｏｒｔｕｎｉｔｙ　Ｋｎｏｃｋｓ.docVIP

Ｏｐｐｏｒｔｕｎｉｔｙ　Ｋｎｏｃｋｓ 　　THE development and construction of the Yellow River Delta has become a topic of intense discussion for the central government. In March 2009, a group of nearly 80 officials from 25 ministries and commissions, led by Vice Minister Du Ying of the State Development and Reform Commission, made an investigatory trip to Dongying, Weifang and Binzhou in Shandong Province regarding the planning and construction of the Yellow River Delta Economic Zone. 　　“The State Council has agreed to increase financial and policy support to the area after it works out a development plan,” assures Duan Lihong, deputy inspector of the Shandong Provincial Development and Reform Commission. 　　 　　 　　Demarcation 　　 　　The Pearl and Yangtze deltas have made a big splash across the country, and even the world, as the economic powerhouses of China, whereas the Yellow River Delta ?C of no less geographical importance ?C crouches in comparative obscurity. 　　“The economic-geographical conception of the area has kept changing,” explains Yang Yuzhen, director of the Yellow River Delta Protection and Development Research Center. Geographically, the delta refers to the alluvial plain that the Yellow River leaves behind when emptying into the sea, but the area as an economic entity has evolved over time. In 1983, when Dongying was established as a city, the delta and the city were identical. Today, the “delta” refers to a much larger area that includes Dongying, Binzhou and areas beyond. 　　As conceptualized by the provincial plan, the Yellow River Delta Economic Zone incorporates the alluvial plain, the northern coastal areas of Shandong, and their peripheries. Dongying and Binzhou are right in the zone, while Weifang, Dezhou, Zibo and Yantai straddle it. The zone covers a territory of 26,500 square kilometers, roughly one-sixth of the provincial total, and has a population of 10 million. 　　“The belated exploration of the Yellow River Delta’s economic potential is due to the