Passage to Nansha

The pace of change in most Chinese cities is so rapid and seemingly random that it is easy to assume little forward planning is involved in their metamorphoses. Recent developments in Guangzhou, however, are a reminder that municipal planners often have a long-term and strategic perspective.

Earlier this month, Guangzhou opened an airport in Huadu, north of the city. Next month, phase I of the city's new port project to the south in Nansha will be finished, with four berths capable of handling 50,000 deadweight tonne (dwt) vessels.

Yet five years ago Guangzhou's own borders encompassed neither Huadu nor Nansha. Huadu was a city in its own right. So too was Panyu, of which Nansha is a part.

Guangzhou coveted Huadu for expansion room to its north, and Panyu for its coastline at Nansha, precisely where the mouth of the Pearl River widens into a delta.

In the mid-1990s, Guangzhou set in motion a complex political manoeuvre to annex both Huadu and Panyu. Despite significant resistance, especially from Panyu, Guangzhou had its way and both cities were absorbed as districts.

That victory won, Guangzhou could proceed with its long-term development objectives, building its airport in Huadu and port at Nansha. The latter project was especially important as the city's existing port at Huangpu is a river port.