ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses a number of very important economic issues in post-reform China. It focuses on the types, determinants, patterns, and implications of land-use change in China. The book deals with very important issue in China: agricultural surplus labor transfer. It examines the changes in China's regional development patterns. The book also examines the factors that determine the locational choices of foreign investors and how the foreign capital inflow has affected regional economic development. It discusses the characteristics of China's foreign trade and exchange regimes and the changes in trade balance and commodity composition since the reform, with special attention to China's trade links with countries in the Pacific Rim region. The book argues that the economic reforms, which emphasize decentralization, marketization, and globalization, have had a great impact on the growth of large cities.