开发区扩张四十年："数量太多、面积太大、投入太少"

2026年以来，全国多地正在推进开发区撤并改革。2商务部7月宣布濮阳、呼伦贝尔、营口、大庆、揭东五家单位因考核排名靠后，退出国家级经济技术开发区序列。2在省级层面，各地改革步伐加快：辽宁省在不到一年内将省级经济开发区从92家缩减至43家，撤销40家、合并9家；2山西摘牌8家省级经开区；2吉林省从95家削减到78家。2被撤并的开发区普遍存在成长性差、财政困难、规划布局不合理等问题。2

国土经济学会理事长肖金成指出，开发区在过去四十年的扩张中存在"数量太多、面积太大、投入太少"的问题。1肖金成曾于1999年考察全国大部分国家级经开区，主持撰写《21世纪特区、开发区发展战略》。1他认为，开发区作为产业发展平台，初期以工业为主、外资为主、外销为主，需要进行功能演变和改革调整。1相比之下，国家级经开区仍保持较强生命力，2024年国家级经开区贡献税收占所在地级市税收的1/4，22025年国家级高新区园区生产总值占全国GDP的14.5%。2当前全国共有国家级经开区227个、国家级高新区179个，各类产业园区总数已超8万家。2

A sweeping overhaul of China's economic development zones has unfolded across multiple provinces since 2026, with authorities shuttering underperforming facilities and merging redundant operations.12 The Ministry of Commerce announced in July that five national-level economic and technological development zones—Puyang, Hulunbuir, Yingkou, Daqing, and Jieyang—have been removed from the national registry due to poor performance rankings.2

The consolidation has been particularly dramatic in Liaoning Province, where the provincial government reduced provincial-level development zones from 92 to 43 within less than a year, eliminating 40 zones and merging nine others.2 The restructuring addresses longstanding inefficiencies, including weak growth prospects, persistent fiscal deficits, and poorly conceived planning layouts.2 Similar reforms are underway in other regions: Jilin Province cut its development zones from 95 to 78, while Shanxi Province delisted eight provincial-level zones in July.2 At the national level, China maintains 227 national-level economic and technological development zones and 179 national-level innovation zones.2

Xiao Jincheng, chairman of the National Land Economics Institute, has identified the fundamental problems plaguing development zones over the past four decades: excessive quantity, oversized land areas, and insufficient investment.1 He notes that these zones, originally designed to serve as platforms for industrial development centered on manufacturing, foreign investment, and export-oriented production, have evolved over time in their functional role.1