At present, the Changhun Expressway between Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, and Hunchun is under construction. With this highway, it will take only five hours, rather than the current 10 hours, to drive from Changchun to Hunchun.

Serving as an international airport, Yanji Airport in Yanbian has opened air routes for passengers and cargo to North Korea, Russia, Japan and South Korea. In 2006, the passenger handling capacity of Yanji Airport totaled 700,000, up 9.4 percent year on year. Meanwhile, North Korea is also planning to open helicopter flights from Rajin to Yanji and Vladivostok in Russia.

International cooperation efforts

During the Northeast Asia Economic Cooperation Forum held in 2006 sponsored by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Organizing Committee of the China Jilin Northeast Asia Expo, the Chinese Government put forward suggestions about building bilateral and multilateral cooperation. China hopes to speed up the implementation of cooperative projects, improve their efficiency and expand their scope.

According to the agreement of the Eighth UNDP Tumenjiang Area Project Development Meeting held in 2005, the nations involved will expand their period of collaboration to 2015, paving the way for increased cooperation between them.

It also aims to expand the area covered by the cooperation projects in northeast China, North Korea, three provinces in Mongolia, the eastern port city group of South Korea and some coastal areas in Russia.

The agreement provides legal protection for the Tumenjiang Area, significantly improving the influence of the area in terms of overall economic cooperation in Northeast Asia.

The construction of a railway linking Hunchun in Jilin to some coastal areas in Russia and also to Rajin in North Korea and a key wood-processing base is under way.

The Jilin Provincial Government is committed to promoting the development of the Tumenjiang Area, echoing the Chinese Government's call to revitalize traditional industrial zones in northeast China and seek greater involvement in international competition, the official report said.

The provincial government also hopes that economic prosperity of the Tumenjiang Area will drive growth of regional trade and spur greater multinational cooperation.

Good opportunities

"Border cities in Jilin, such as Yanbian, should seize the opportunities brought by the development of the Tumenjiang Area," said Bing Zheng, President of Jilin Academy of Social Sciences.

According to Bing, in the short run, the cost of export-processing zones in coastal areas is on the rise and they are also confronted with industrial transfer. In view of this, cities in the Tumenjiang Area should seize the opportunity and attract more foreign investment.

"Apart from industrial development, the Tumenjiang Area should not lose its advantage in agriculture, which is a competitive pillar industry of Jilin," said Wang Shengjin, Vice President of Jilin University.

A prime example of development in the Tumenjiang Area is Hunchun, which used to be a small county and has now been transformed into a modern city with a stable population of 250,000 and annual gross domestic product of 2 billion yuan ($277.78 million).

Zhang, a businessman who has invested in the city for more than 10 years, said, "The government's increasingly sound support consolidates our confidence, and the prospects for the area look rosy to us."