Periphery, borders and regional development

The periphery is often imagined only as a recipient of development projects and as a location of new public and private investment. Seldom are they involved as participants in formulating the projects. Friedmann (1973) noted the core regions tend to control decisions affecting the periphery (p.74). in countries as diverse as Myanmar, Russia and China, the development problems of the periphery are no less critical today than the period when Friedmann conducted his research in Venezuela (United Nations Devlopment Programme Russia 2007; European Commission 2010). In many countries, regional inequalities have not diminished and nowhere is this more obvious than in China. After four decades of phenomenal economic growth, China is recognizing the deep divide between the economically advanced eastern region and parts of the central region, with the rest of the country. Since the 2000s, China has implemented ‘opening the West’ and ‘renewing the Northeast old Industrial Zones’ strategies to develop its periphery. China’s border economic cooperation zones (BECZ) are part of these development strategies. This essay compares the relevant characteristics of the periphery with the program’s premises to highlight the need for in-depth understanding of the periphery.