The geopolitics of the Yangtze River: developing the interior

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Fascinating backgrounder to China’s Go-West policy from US geopolitical analyst Stratfor. The shift in focus of industrial production from the country’s eastern and southern seaboards to the Yangtze corridor is not just about maintaining China’s low-cost advantage in the face of new competition, it is central to the government’s primary aim of maintaining power – developing the Yangtze into a new economic powerhouse is crucial to retaining the unity of the country. Without a strong Yangtze, the possibility of China descending into bitter regional competition and possible separatism sharply increases.