North Korea Ports and Roads Part of Northeast Development Push

Han Changfu, the governor of Jilin province, said today that China is in talks with North Korea about using the North's ports to ship goods for the new Changchun-Jilin-Tumen pilot economic development zone.

"If both sides believe that it will be beneficial to use the ports, then we will do it," Han told Reuters after a news conference in Beijing to unveil the project. Han said China could provide funds to help the North improve its infrastructure and hence access to the ports. The Jilin province is immediately inland to the northern coast of North Korea.

The North Korea ports are only one aspect of China's new push in this area. The People's Daily reports that the Jilin Province is endeavoring to build the newly-approved Changchun-Jilin-Tumen pilot zone into a modern industrial and agricultural base and an innovation center in northeast Asia.

"The gross domestic product (GDP) in the pilot zone is forecast to quadruple from now to 2020 and become a modern logistics base, an international commercial service center and an important economic growth pole in northeast Asia," Han told reporters.

The Chinese government has approved the pilot zone in the Tumen River Delta to boost the cross-border cooperation in the northeast Asian region, the provincial government announced Monday.

The northeastern region, once known as Manchuria, is rich in natural resources, and is China's traditional base of heavy industry and agriculture.