“Western Development” as the Main Vector of the PRC's Strategic Regional Transformations in the 21th Century
The complex of regional transformations of the national economy in the Western region of the PRC, implemented since 2000, is called «Western Development». The study of the main directions of the implementation of the development strategy of Western China is most relevant in the context of the study of the modern regional history of the PRC, which makes it possible to identify the prerequisites, patterns and consequences of Chinese regional policy. The peripheral nature of the West of China determines the significance of spatial transformations in this region, and forces neighboring countries, including Russia, to orient themselves towards those strategic, promising projects, the echoes of which are reflected in the transformation and adaptation of the policies of the states neighboring with the PRC. Regional transformations of recent decades in the West of the PRC are dictated by the desire for complementary co-development of Chinese regions with different levels of economic growth, mutual openness of China in the eastern and western directions, common prosperity, security and stability of the western border areas of the PRC, as well as harmonious coexistence man and nature. «Western development» of the PRC is an important strategic stage in achieving the main goal of the Chinese state by the centenary of the formation of the PRC by 2049 to reach the level of the leading world powers. Analysis of strategic regional planning shows that this period of time is divided into 3 key stages for the development of the western territory: the fundamental stage 2001-2010, the accelerated stage 2011-2030, the stage of modernization 2031-2050.