A Comparative Study Of The Role Of Government In The Development Of Western China

The grand Western Development Program is a major initiative of China at the turn of the century and a significant historical task in the new century. It is directly connected with China’s future development and destiny, and thereby has great historical and practical significances. The United States was once a country with very unevenly developed regional economies. At the early19th century, it initiated the "go-west" enterprise, thereby embarking on the road of westward expansion and development, which had laid a foundation for the country’s prosperity and development. In a sense, without the success of the Westward Expansion campaign, we would not see a fully prosperous America today. What’s more, the U.S. government had played a pivotal role in this process.Theory is a tool guiding practice. When it comes to the western development program, only the sustainable development theory, gradient theory and regional economic development theory are available. Wherein, the regional economic development theory consists of the growth pole theory, point-axis development theory and network development theory. These theories provide useful guidance for us to analyze the western development programs of both China and the United States.China’s dynastic rulers, as long as permitted by national strength, had been dedicated to the construction and consolidation of the western regions. However, as constrained by factors such as the level of productive forces, they failed to attain the achievements comparable to those of the United States. Especially in mordern times, the economy of China’s western regions has lagged far behind that of the east. Although, in China’s modern and contemporary history, there had appeared several government-led western development rushes, they did not realize the sustainable economic development of the west, nor did they resolve the problem of uneven regional economic development in China. In terms of regional economic development, China and the United States have attracted most of the world’s attention. During the course of China’s current Western Development Program, it is of important significance to make a horizontal comparison between the western development courses of China and United States and carefully analyze the similarities and differences between the two governments using the government level as the entry point. This will help us recognize problems in China’s Western Development Program, improve rational cognition, expand the range of choice and vision, and thereby embark on a way of grand western development with Chinese characteristics that is in line with China’s national conditions while fully drawing on international experience.Both the Chinese and U.S. governments have played a vital role in the course of western development, and they have many things in common when it comes to the emphasis on infrastructure construction and immigrants. However, the two governments have more differences than similarities, involving methods of natural resource exploitation, foreign policies, development entities, systems and impacts on culture. Differences in the two countries’ conditions are bound to exert direct impacts on their choice of the western development paths.During the course of "go-west" enterprise, the U.S. government has gained valuable experiences thereupon:it valued the role of market mechanism in resource configuration, introduced preferential policies, attached great importance to infrastructure construction, etc.all these have entailed significant results. However, it cannot be ignored that the U.S. government also paid a certain price in this process, such as environmental issues, waste in infrastructure, and blind urban contruction, which can provide references for China. At the current stage of China’s Western Development Program, we should summarize these experiences and lessons to help us avoid detours and find a way of western development with Chinese characteristics.