Title: Interprovincial Border Disputes–the case of Lake Weishan
Abstract: Abstract In China, interprovincial border areas could become a destabilizing source for both social stability and economic development. One of the most typical cases has been that of boundary disputes stemming from inaccurate borderlines between provinces. This article, based on field surveys and relevant official documents, shows that the interprovincial tensions at Lake Weishan have been aggravated by the ambiguity in the interprovincial delimitation, a lack of respect for the rule of law on interprovincial relations, and, to a certain extent, nepotism from both central and provincial governments. Notes *Rongxing Guo is Professor and Head of the Regional Economics Committee at the Regional Science Association of China (RSAC), Peking University. He was recently a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies (CNAPS) at the Brooking Institution in Washington, DC. This paper is based on two field surveys on Lake Weishan in 2000 and 2002. Professor Hu Xuwei (Chinese Academy of Sciences) joined the first visit to the whole border area of Jiangsu and Shandong provinces. Thanks are due to officials of Weishan county (Shandong province) and Peixian county (Jiangsu province) who gave us generous help during our stay in the Lake Weishan area. I am grateful to Dr Zhao Jun (Xuzhou Municipal Government) for arranging our field investigation and Mr Yu Haijian (Economic and Trade Commission of Shandong Province) for providing data on Lake Weishan. I gratefully acknowledge Dr David Lawrence (Australian National University) and Mr Guo Liqing for their superb research assistance, and an anonymous referee for his/her valuable comments on the early version of this paper. The author can be reached by email at [email protected]. 1. Weishan Statistical Yearbook 2001, edited by the Statistical Bureau of Weishan country, (May 2002), p. 1; and An Outline of the Report Concerning the Environmental Protection Work on the Four Southern Lakes (The CCP Committee of Weishan County and the People's Government of Weishan County, 29 December 1998). 2. See http://www.jiningepb.gov.cn/nsbd/nsa.asp (accessed 10 September 2010). 3. The State Administrative Council of the PRC (under the form of Letter zhengzhengbuzi, No. 136), (22 August 1953). 4. Weishan Statistical Yearbook 2001, p. 2. 5. Statistics on Status of the Lakeside Land and Lake-related Resources in Lake Weishan, Peixian County (Office of Lakeside land, Peixian county, 8 June 1996). 6. Statistics on Status of the Lakeside Land and Lake-related Resources in Lake Weishan, Peixian County (Office of Lakeside land, Peixian county, 8 June 1996) 7. Report on the Work of the Delimitation between Peixian and Weishan Counties (The Working Office of Lake Area, Peixian county, 17 February 1998). 8. Based on the author's two talks with officials in Weishan and Peixian counties on 1 and 2 June 2000, respectively. 9. Report on the Work of the Delimitation between Peixian and Weishan Counties. 10. An Outline of the Report Concerning the Environmental Protection Work on the Four Southern Lakes. 11. Released by officials in charge of economic planning and environmental protection of Xuzhou municipal government in a meeting sponsored by the author, Nanjiao Hotel, Xuzhou city, Jiangsu province, 24 May 2000. 12. Status Concerning the Past Resolutions of the Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces over the Four Southern Lakes Disputes, provided by the Office of Lakeside Land, Peixian County. 13. Records of the Seventh Meeting of Shandong and Jiangsu Provincial Representatives Concerning the Resolution of Disputes of Peixian and Weishan Counties over the Lakeside Land and Lake-related Resources, (30 October 1961), provided by the Office of Lakeside Land, Peixian county. 14. Based on the author's talks with county officials in Peixian township, Jiangsu province on 2 June 2000. 15. Status Concerning the Past Resolutions of the Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces over the Southern Four Lakes Disputes 16. Status Concerning the Past Resolutions of the Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces over the Southern Four Lakes Disputes 17. Status Concerning the Past Resolutions of the Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces over the Southern Four Lakes Disputes 18. Report Concerning the Scheme of Re-adjusting the Shandong-Jiangsu Border in Lake Weishan Area, a document from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Ministry of Water Conservancy, (min [1981], No. 68; [1981] shuigui, No. 48, signatures: Zhang Bangying and Qian Zhengying). 19. Report Concerning the Scheme of Re-adjusting the Shandong-Jiangsu Border in Lake Weishan Area, a document from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Ministry of Water Conservancy, (min [1981], No. 68; [1981] shuigui, No. 48, signatures: Zhang Bangying and Qian Zhengying) 20. The State Council's Official Comments on ‘Report Concerning the Scheme of Re-adjusting the Shandong-Jiangsu Border in Lake Weishan Area’ of Ministry of Civil Affairs and Ministry of Water Conservancy (Beijing: State Council, 1981). 21. Based on the author's talks with county officials of Weishan county in Xiazhen township, Shandong province on 1 June 2000. 22. Based on the author's talks with county officials of Weishan county in Xiazhen township, Shandong province on 1 June 2000 23. Status Concerning the Past Resolutions of the Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces over the Four Southern Lakes Disputes. 24. Cited from Comrade Wan Li's Speech at the Meeting of Report Delivered by Comrade Cui Naifu of Minister of Civil Affairs on the Issues Concerning the Resolution of the Disputes over Lake Weishan, recorded material provided by Office of Lakeside Land, Peixian county. 25. Citied from Report on Issues Concerning the Resolution of Lake Weishan Disputes (The State Council's Dispatched Working Group to Lake Weishan, 9 April 1984). 26. Notice that Peixian county considered this decision as unfair redistribution of productive and living materials from Jiangsu to Shandong provinces. See Status Concerning the Implementation of the Three Central Documents (Office of Lakeside Land, Peixian county). 27. The Second Report on Issues Concerning the Resolution of Lake Weishan Disputes (presented by the State Council's dispatched working group, 23 August 1984). 28. Notification on the Dispatching of the ‘Report Presented by the MCA on Issues Concerning the Resolution of the Scopes of the Lakeside Land and Lake-related Production between the Southern and Northern Lake Weishan’, Official Document No. 61 (Administrative Office of the State Council, 5 September 1985). 29. Notification on the Dispatching of the ‘Report Presented by the MCA on Issues Concerning the Resolution of the Scopes of the Lakeside Land and Lake-related Production between the Southern and Northern Lake Weishan’, Official Document No. 61 (Administrative Office of the State Council, 5 September 1985) 30. Summary of the Negotiations Concerning the Fulfillment of the Documents Issued by the CCP Central Committee (zhongfa[1984], No. 11) and the State Council (guofa[1984], No. 109) (Peixian county, Shandong province and Weishan county, Shandong province, 8 September 1984). 31. Status Concerning the Implementation of the Three Central Documents. 32. Report on Request of a Thorough Resolution of Jiangsu-Shandong Disputes over Lake Weishan, peizhengbao [1998], No. 18 (The government of Peixian county, 10 June 1998). 33. Regulations of the P.R. China Concerning the Resolutions of the Disputes on Borders of the Administrative Divisions (Beijing: State Council, 1981 and 1988). 34. Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China (Beijing: National People's Congress of China, 1997), Article 125. 35. Status Concerning the Past Resolutions of the Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces over the Four Southern Lakes Disputes. 36. For example, the average output value for the cultivation of the lakeside land had been approximately 2,000 yuan per mu, with few inputs in fertilizers and pesticides and almost no need of arable management. If cultivation included both agricultural and aquatic productions, the average output level of the lakeside land would increase additionally. Source: Office of Lakeside Land Administration, Peixian county. 37. Temporary Regulations Concerning the Resource Taxation of the People's Republic of China, No. 139 document (Beijing: State Council, 25 December 1993), Article 12; and Regulations Concerning the Management of Collection of the Mining-Compensation Fees, No. 150 document (Beijing: State Council, 27 February 1994). 38. The official letter of the Ministry of Geology and Minerals (dihan [1994], No. 318), 21 December 1994. 39. Status Relating to the Cross-Provincial Exploitation of Datun Coal and Electricity Company and Xuzhou Coal Administration (The Local Taxation Bureau, Shandong province, 17 April 1995). 40. Letter Concerning Jiangsu's Sole Right over the Collection of Resources Taxation on the Datun Coal and Electricity Company, suzhenghan [1995], No. 56 (Government of Jiangsu province, March 1995). 41. Emergent Request on Issues Concerning the Resources Taxation Levied by Shandong Province on Datun Coal and Electricity Company (Government of Peixian county, 1 November 1996). 42. Letter on Opinions Concerning the Location of Collection of Taxation on Coal Resources in the Lake Weishan Area, MOF and STB, caishuizi [1997], No. 55; and Letter Replying to Issues Concerning the Collection of the Mining-Compensated Fees on the Datun Coal and Electricity Company, MOF and MGM, caijizi [1997], No. 851 (21 November 1997). 43. Wan Li pointed out: ‘In order to find a thorough resolution to this problem, the State Council has made a fairly definite decision. After having taken into account of all gains and losses, it seems better to put all disputed villages under the administration of Shandong province’. Cited from Comrade Wan Li's Speech at the Meeting of Report Delivered by Comrade Cui Naifu of Minister of Civil Affairs on the Issues Concerning the Resolution of the Disputes over Lake Weishan. 44. Report on the Work of the Delimitation between Peixian and Weishan Counties. 45. For instance, Article 12 of Temporary Regulations Concerning the Resource Taxation of the People's Republic of China states that: ‘Tax payers shall pay taxes to the taxation bureau in charge of places from which the taxed products originate’. 46. Cited from a private conversation at a banquet hosted by the government of Weishan county in Xiazhen town, 2 June 2000. 47. Report on the Work of the Delimitation between Peixian and Weishan Counties.
Publication Year: 2012
Publication Date: 2012-05-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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