ABSTRACT
China' s Special Economic Zones , in common with many other export processing zones in South-East Asia, are identifiable entities , isolated to a considerable extent legally and physically from the rest of the coun try . Their objectives may appear to be 'aspatial ' , but they nevertheless do contribute de facto to the regional balance or imbalance : they have specific locations and are becoming quite significant economic forces in their own right . Most important, perhaps, from a regional perspec tive, is their concentration in the coastal provinces of Guangdong, Hainan and Fuj ian (see map on page xv) .
