China’s special economic zones: from traditional labor-intensive industries to eco-industrial park development

Abstract

Special economic zones (SEZs) development plays a significant role in China`s economic and industrial growth. However, rapid industrialization and increasing number of industrial parks has significantly intensified environmental pollution issues. These facts resulted in an urgent need for effective coordination between further economic growth, industrial expansion, and search for solutions to environmental issues. One of the most effective approaches to implement these concerns is to develop eco-industrial parks (EIPs). The research applied methods: the dialectical method for analyzing models of various SEZ types creation and operation; historical and logical analysis methods for examining the historical stages and processes for SEZ development; comparative analysis methods for studying the prerequisites to modernize and transform certain SEZ types into EIPs; structural analysis methods to evaluate economic performance indicators and identify the structure of EIPs. The primary goal for EIP concept development has been to balance between intensive industrial growth and environmental issues resolution. The EIPs creation can be considered as one of the key instruments in implementing the sustainable development policies, aiming to integrate environmentally friendly technologies into production, reduce CO₂ emissions, and promote efficient resource use. The EIPs operational mechanism is built on circular economy principles, fundamentally modifying production and consumption models within China`s economy. EIPs serve as a key mechanism for transitioning China’s economy from extensive to intensive growth model. To achieve sustainable development goals and coordinate the relationship between economic expansion and environmental protection issues, China has been implementing programs for more than two decades aimed at gradually transforming national development zones, ETZs and HTZs into EIPs. The economic performance indicators of EIPs highlight their role as the leading economic and industrial centers in China, driving substantial economic growth due to innovation, sustainability, and international cooperation