As Shanghai battles to achieve "dynamic zero-COVID", all localities across the Yangtze River Delta region have proactively rallied behind to provide comprehensive support, which is indispensable for curbing the spread of the pandemic. Such support embodies the spirit of building a closely connected and united community in the Yangtze River Delta region, while showcasing the practical achievements of thoroughly implementing the national strategy for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region in recent years.



The "Dynamic zero-COVID" policy promotes the establishment of a joint prevention and control mechanism against major infectious diseases in the Yangtze River Delta region 

What is most visible to local residents in Shanghai nowadays is the large number of professional medical staff dispatched by Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces to comprehensively assist in the large-scale nucleic acid testing and shelter hospital operations in the city, effectively easing the serious shortages of both anti-epidemic medical and hospital operation personnel. Well-organized and working efficiently, these medical workers have quickly integrated into the front line of the fight against the pandemic in Shanghai, ensuring the vigorous implementation of the "dynamic zero-COVID" policy in the whole city. As isolation facilities run short in Shanghai, cities in neighboring provinces have vacated hotels to quarantine Covid-19 contacts from Shanghai. It is a great example of regional integration thinking in action. In particular, we have seen full-scale resources mobilization in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui. Neighboring cities and even far-away cities in north Anhui have sent medical teams to Shanghai to aid its fight against the pandemic, showcasing outstanding organizational and operational power. This also stands witness to the fruition of efforts by the three provinces and Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta region to strengthen cooperation in basic public health services and promote the construction of a joint prevention and control mechanism against major infectious diseases.

One major challenge facing the "dynamic zero-COVID" policy is the supply of livelihood items for Shanghai’s 25 million citizens. Despite “Last mile” and “Last 100 meters” delivery problems, livelihood supplies are now basically guaranteed. And, the well-developed transport and logistics systems in the Yangtze River Delta region have played a key role in achieving it. With the support of the central government, the region has made great efforts to build an integrated transportation system in recent years. Apart from building a ‘Yangtze River Delta Region on the Track’, promoting water-water transfer and river-sea intermodal transport and establishing comprehensive transport hubs, all localities in the region have basically solved the long-standing problem of dead-end inter-provincial highways, thus substantially enhancing road accessibility and attracting big logistics enterprises and platform companies to transfer some of their large logistics warehousing and distribution hubs to the surrounding areas of Shanghai. All these have played a key part in the ongoing efforts to implement the "dynamic zero-COVID" policy.



The "Dynamic zero-COVID" policy boosts coordinated production resumption in the Yangtze River Delta region

What is most worth noting is that production resumption in Shanghai is important not only for the stable growth of the local economy, but also for the stability of industrial and supply chains in the Yangtze River Delta region, China and even the whole world. As the national strategy for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta deepens, Shanghai has further improved its four core functions in global resource allocation, scientific and technological innovation, high-end industry leadership and international hub building. At the same time, its services to and influence on all parts of the Yangtze River Delta region have also been strengthened. There are now more frequent and closer flows of goods, funds, logistics, personnel and information between Shanghai and other parts of the Yangtze River Delta region. As far as industrial and supply chains are concerned, all localities in the region have leveraged their comparative advantages to form a development pattern of wide regional connectivity and integration. As the current fight against the COVID-19 pandemic enters the second stage and livelihood supplies are basically guaranteed, the focus of work is now shifting to resuming production and connecting up the industrial and supply chains in the Yangtze River Delta region. One key task is to encourage leading enterprises, key core parts enterprises, raw material producers and producer service enterprises in automobile, electronic information, biomedicine, chemical industry and energy industries to speed up production resumption. At the same time, efforts are needed to accelerate the cross-provincial transportation of core parts, key raw materials and products and maintain the smooth operation of industrial and supply chains. On April 16, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization issued Epidemic Prevention and Control Guidelines for Industrial Enterprises in Shanghai to Resume Production (First Edition), calling for action to energetically promote enterprises to resume production in an effective and orderly way, while ensuring risk controllability. Relevant state departments are also proactively coordinating to solve logistics and transport blocking spots in the Yangtze River Delta region.



Implementing the "dynamic zero-COVID" policy in a solid and effective way to promote the high-quality integration of the Yangtze River Delta region 

To boost the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, it is imperative for us to more effectively implement the general policy of "dynamic zero-COVID" and examine issues that are worthy of further consideration and research. Three important areas in the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region are involved here, which include regional public security and governance, efficient and three-dimensional logistics, and industrial chain supply chain construction.

Prioritizing the integrated high-quality development of public security and governance. Public security covers public health, as well as major disasters, production safety, social security, and other issues. We need to accelerate the formation of a framework system of "unified standards, consistent rules, connected platforms and data sharing", and establish and improve an integrated coordination mechanism. It is also necessary for us to establish a standards system and a planning system for the prevention and control of urban public safety risks, improve the joint prevention and control mechanisms for major regional disasters and accidents, major public health accidents, and major and serious production safety accidents, and perfect overall and special contingency plans.

Further promoting the integration of three-dimensional transportation and logistics in the Yangtze River Delta region. We need to continue to improve the system of diversified passageways between Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region and the rest of the country. For example, Pudong New Area is currently connected with areas north of the Yangtze River, with several cross-river channels already operating. However, people in Pudong have to go west first and then bypass southward to reach the Hangzhou Bay in the south, which weakens the linkage between Pudong and cities like Ningbo and Zhoushan. It is now time to put the construction of the grand Hangzhou Bay Passageway on the agenda. We need to build global shipping hubs across the Yangtze River Delta region, strengthen the integrated development of the Port of Shanghai, Pudong International Airport, Hongqiao International Airport and airport and port clusters in the Yangtze River Delta region, and forge close connectivity between river, sea, land and air transport systems in the region. We need to promote the construction of integrated logistics systems, deepen river-sea intermodal transport, railway-sea intermodal transport, as well as river-sea-land-air-railway intermodal transport, encourage logistics enterprises to build intelligent and digital facilities, and accelerate the unification of logistics management rules, data sharing, platform co-construction and all-in-one network construction in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Establishing a coordination mechanism for stabilizing and strengthening industrial and supply chains in the Yangtze River Delta region. Focusing on automobile, electronic information, modern equipment, biomedicine, textile and clothing, food and other industries that have an important impact on national and global supply chains, as well as on industrial chains that have a great influence on the steady growth of the Yangtze River Delta region and the macroeconomic stability of the whole country, we need to organize forces to conduct research, and design chain stabilization and strengthening schemes and coordination mechanisms targeting those weak links and spots found in the current fight against the pandemic in Shanghai. We also need to strengthen coordination among the governments, industries and enterprises of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Shanghai, enhance synergy between government, industry and enterprises, and strengthen the intra-regional coordination and cross-regional integration of production, logistics, financing, talents, technology and public services. We may also consider giving play to the collaborative legislative role of the Yangtze River Delta region and strengthening institutional building for some key measures to stabilize and enhance industrial and supply chains, so as to ensure orderly and solid progress. We need to further establish and develop all kinds of industry organizations in the Yangtze River Delta region and better leverage their roles in coordinating enterprises and communicating with the government. 



Source: Wang Zhen, research professor, Director of the Information Institute and Vice President of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences