On Nov 10, Dandong and Dalian reached an agreement to jointly promote the integration of Liaoning coastal economic zone at the symposium on the opening up of the north Yellow Sea.

The two sides have set up a special investigation group to report the development of the north Yellow Sea. A joint conference system between the two cities was also established to solve major problems during the opening up of the north Yellow Sea.

The two sides will also increase investment on the urban development, the overall arrangement planning, industrial development planning, the environmental assessment and other works.

Dandong is a new gateway to the sea in the nation's northeastern region. The joint efforts of the two cities will strengthen cooperation among Dalian, Dandong, and provinces of Jilin, Heilongjiang and the eastern Inner Mongolia region on the development of raw material and mineral resources. The step will also forge the coastal region into a commercial hub towards the outside world. By then, Dandong will become the core of the northeast Asia economic circles and make contributions to the interactive development of the northeastern and the coastal areas.

Dandong says they intend to promote the development of the key economic areas, including the New Area and Dagushan Economic Zone. The city will also expend industrial clusters of automobile and auto parts, electronic instrument, equipment manufacturing and new materials.

The city will also quicken its port construction and make full use of port and coastline resources to develop itself as an international port city.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Clark Cahill