香港投資因素與珠江三角洲的城市化: 回顧與前瞻

Urbanization in the People's Republic of China during 1949 — 1978 was mainly driven by internal forces under a self-reliant centrally-planned economic system. Since the Opening and Reform initiated in 1978, external forces, especially foreign investment inflow has emerged as a new driving force of urbanization in the Pearl River Delta (the Delta) of South China. Foreign direct investment (FDI) invested by Hong Kong into the Delta is found to be characterized by small and medium — scale labour —intensive, processing — type of manufacturing and trade—creative investment. It shows a spatial tendency within the host region urban hierarchy in favour of small cities and counties and a distinct border orientation. This contrasts with the concentration in large metropolises or economic core regions found in most less developing countries. Such FDI has brought about significant changes in the Delta in 1978—1993, such as economic restructuring, rural industrialization, emergence of an export — orientated economy and its rapid integration with the world economy. They have also generated massive population immigration and dramatic landscape transformation there. Consequently, urbanization in the Delta is characterized by predominant growth of small urban centres, particularly those along the border with Hong Kong and Macao and hence more spatial equally in the urbanization level in the Delta and a declining primacy of Guangzhou, the regional primate city. Finally, recent policy changes of foreign investment into the Delta and their possible corresponding effects on urbanization have also been discussed. The experience of foreign investment—induced urbanization in the Delta is not only practical for development and planning in areas under intensive inflow of foreign investment, but could also enrich the literature on the globalization process and its impacts on the developing countries.