Urbanisation in the People's Republic of China during 1949-78 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, have emerged as a new driving force of urbanisation in some parts of China, particularly in the Pearl River Delta (the Delta) of South China. This study investigates the nature and pattern of this new type of urbanisation, which we label as exo(genous)-urbanisation. Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Delta is mainly characterised by small and medium-scale, labour-intensive, processing-types of manufacturing and trade-creative investment coming from Hong Kong and Macao. It shows a spatial tendency within the host region's 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 interacted with internal reforms to effect significant changes in the Delta during 1978-93, such as economic restructuring, rural industrialisation, the emergence of an export-oriented economy and its rapid integration with the world economy. It has also generated massive population in-migration and dramatic landscape transformation there. Put simply, exo-urbanisation in the Delta shows a predominant growth of small urban centres particularly those along the border with Hong Kong and Macao and hence a more equal level of urbanisation in the Delta and a declining primacy of Guangzhou, the regional primate city. However, exo-urbanisation in the Delta also raises doubts on social and environmental fronts as well as on its durability. The FDI inflow and the newly created export-oriented industrialisation and urban growth in the Delta are obviously subject to vicissitudes of the world market. In spite of this, contemporary urbanisation theories should give attention to the role of external forces. Further studies on exo-urbanisation are not only practical for development and planning in areas under intensive inflow of foreign investment, but could also enrich the literature on the globalisation process and its impacts on the developing countries.

Yang C. Strategic coupling of regional development in global production networks: redistribution of Taiwanese personal computer investment from the Pearl River Delta to the Yangtze River Delta, China, Regional Studies. From the perspective of strategic coupling of regional development in global production networks (GPN), this paper attempts to explore the dynamics and patterns of the redistribution of Taiwanese personal computer (PC) investment from the Pearl River Delta (PRD) to the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in China since the early 2000s. Through firm-level interviews and case studies, it argues that the redistribution is resulted from divergent strategic coupling between respective Taiwanese firms in the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta and their lead firm counterparts fostered by different local institutional initiatives. The study further elucidates that regional development in the global economy has turned increasingly to trans-local dynamics. Yang C. L'association stratégique de l'aménagement du territoire dans les réseaux de production mondialisés: la redistribution de l'investissement taiwanais en ordinateurs personnels du delta de la Pearl au delta de la Yangtze, en Chine, Regional Studies. Du point de vue de l'association stratégique de l'aménagement du territoire dans les réseaux de production mondialisés, cet article cherche à examiner pendant les dix dernières années la dynamique et la répartition de la redistribution de l'investissement taiwanais en ordinateurs personnels du delta de la Pearl (PRD) au delta de la Yangtze (YRD) en Chine. A partir des interviews auprès des entreprises et des études de cas, on soutient que la redistribution résulte de l'association stratégique divergente entre les entreprises taiwanaises situées dans la PRD et la YRD et leurs homologues leaders qui se sont développés suite à diverses initiatives institutionnelles locales. En outre, l'étude montre que, dans le contexte de l'économie mondiale, l'aménagement du territoire porte de plus en plus sur la dynamique trans-locale. Association stratégique Aménagement du territoire Réseaux de production mondialisés Redistribution de l'IDE Delta de la Pearl Delta de la Yangtze Yang C. Die strategische Kopplung von Regionalentwicklung in globalen Produktionsnetzen: Umverteilung taiwanesischer PC-Investitionen vom Pearl River Delta zum Yangtze River Delta in China, Regional Studies. In diesem Beitrag wird versucht, die Dynamik und die Abläufe bei der Umverteilung taiwanesischer PC-Investitionen vom Pearl River Delta (PRD) zum Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in China während der letzten 10 Jahre aus der Perspektive der strategischen Kopplung der regionalen Entwicklung in globalen Produktionsnetzen zu analysieren. Anhand von Interviews und Fallstudien auf Firmenebene wird argumentiert, dass die Umverteilung durch eine divergente strategische Kopplung zwischen taiwanesischen Firmen im PRD und YRD und ihren entsprechenden leitenden Firmen verursacht und durch verschiedene lokale institutionelle Initiativen gefördert wird. Wie aus der Studie weiter hervorgeht, hat die regionale Entwicklung in der globalen Wirtschaft die zunehmend translokale Dynamik verändert. Strategische Kopplung Regionalentwicklung Globalisierte Produktionsnetze Umverteilung von ausländischen Direktinvestitionen Pearl River Delta Yangtze River Delta Yang C. Conexión estratégica del desarrollo regional en las redes de producción global: redistribución de la inversión en PC en Taiwán desde el delta del río Pearl hasta el delta del río Yangtzé en China, Regional Studies. Desde la perspectiva de la conexión estratégica del desarrollo regional en las redes de producción global, en este artículo intento analizar las dinámicas y los modelos de redistribución de la inversión en PC en Taiwán desde el delta del río Pearl hasta el delta del río Yangtzé en China en los últimos diez años. Mediante entrevistas a nivel empresarial y estudios prácticos, sostengo que la redistribución es el resultado de una conexión estratégica divergente entre las empresas de Taiwán en el delta del río Pearl y el delta del río Yangtzé y sus socios líderes fomentados por diferentes iniciativas institucionales en un ámbito local. En este estudio también explico que el desarrollo regional en la economía global ha transformado las dinámicas cada vez más translocales. Conexión estratégica Desarrollo regional Redes de producción global Redistribución de la IDE Delta del río Pearl Delta del río Yangtzé

Existing literature on the economic resilience of cities has primarily focused on the study of capabilities and outcomes, while little has been conducted on the evolutionary processes. Drawing upon institutional change and path development concepts, this article develops an analytical framework that explains how different modes of institutional change shape path development processes in relation to economic resilience in cities. This article provides a comparative study on the divergent path development involving distinctive institutional change mechanisms in two Chinese mining cities both facing resource depletion since 2000, namely Zaozhuang in Shandong province and Fuxin in Liaoning province. It shows that Zaozhuang enables endogenously-based layering and conversion that leads to path renewal and creation with a more dynamic resilience engendering structural change, whereas Fuxin is trapped in exogenously-induced institutional thickening that results in path persistence and extension with a less dynamic resilience hindering economic renewal. The findings of this study advance the regional resilience literature by incorporating the role of agency, institutional change and path development in the context of China.