According to the development plan of Lanzhou-Baiyin Economic Zone, it has to achieve a total output value of over $310 billion yuan ($50.87 billion) and increase its share in the province’s total output to 40 percent or above and also reach an urbanization level of 60 percent by 2015. By 2020, it also has to generate more than 45 percent of the province’s total output value, enabling the per capita GDP to reach or exceed the national average.

Lanzhou-Baiyin Economic Zone covers several administrative areas governed by Lanzhou and Baiyin respectively and can directly stimulate its neighboring cities, including Dingxi, Linxia and Tianzhu county. This economic zone centers around Lanzhou’s main urban area, Baiyin’s urban area and Lanzhou New District and connects counties, major towns and industrial parks along the Yellow River Valley by the traffic network.

As stated in the development planning, Lanzhou New District has a maximum planning area of 806 square kilometers, with the region to the south of Zhongchuan Airport as the core functional area. Baiyin industrial center will cover an area of 100 sq km, and unlike Lanzhou New District, it is to be built as the country’s major base of non-ferrous metals, rare earth material, the chemical industry base, and the external resource processing base.

The development planning states that, in a new stage of the “Go West” campaign, Lanzhou should greatly stimulate the megalopolis in the Lianyungang - Xinjiang economic zone, and take the lead in making breakthroughs to promote the development of Lanzhou-Xining Economic Zone, thus achieving a new high for the development of northwestern regions.

According to the development planning, by 2015, Lanzhou-Baiyin Economic Zone will take significant steps in the transformation of growth models and the upgrading of industrial infrastructure, and improve environmental quality, thus achieving a balanced social, economic, and environmental development. By 2020 it will be developed into an integrated economic zone supported by modern industry.