China approves expansion of Shanghai Pudong New District

May 7, 2009 (China Knowledge) - The Chinese government has approved the merging of Shanghai's Nanhui district into neighboring Pudong New District, which hosts most of the city's financial institutions, said Chen Qiwei, a spokesman of the local government on Wednesday.

Pudong New District, established in 1990, realized a gross output value of RMB 315.1 billion in 2008, while Nanhui district realized RMB 54.8 billion.

The area of Pudong New District will increase to 1,210.41 square kilometers from 532.75 square kilometers. The enlarged district it will have a total of 2.68 million registered residents.

Pudong New District, which has been developing for 19 years, will now have more room to grow. It may even be the location for the construction of the largest-ever overseas Disney theme park.

In late March, China's State Council agreed to develop Shanghai into an international financial and shipping center by 2020, accelerating the development of the city's modern services and advanced manufacturing so that the city can better serve the Yangtze River Delta, the Yangtze River Valley, and the whole country, according to an earlier report from China Knowledge.