Western China (or) is the west of China. It consists of Southwestern China and Northwestern China. In the definition of the Chinese government, Western China covers six provinces (Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai), three autonomous regions (Tibet, Ningxia, and Xinjiang), and one direct-administered municipality (Chongqing).
As part of the Xi Jinping administration's goal to urbanize 250 million citizens by 2025 as the first phase of a long-term green modernization plan, China seeks to resettle formerly rural people in provincial capitals, prefectural cities, and county-level towns in western China (as well as central China).[1]
Provincial capitals in bold.
| City | Urban area | District area | City proper[4] | Prov. | Census date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chongqing | 8,894,757 | 12,084,385 | 16,044,027 | CQ | 2010-11-01 | |
| 2 | Chengdu | 6,316,922 | 7,415,590 | 14,047,625 | SC | 2010-11-01 | |
| 3 | Xi'an | 5,206,253 | 6,501,190 | 8,467,838 | SN | 2010-11-01 | |
| 4 | Kunming | 3,140,777 | 3,272,586 | 6,432,209 | YN | 2010-11-01 | |
| 5 | Ürümqi | 2,853,398 | 3,029,372 | 3,112,559 | XJ | 2010-11-01 | |
| 6 | Guiyang | 2,520,061 | 3,034,750 | 4,322,611 | GZ | 2010-11-01 | |
| 7 | Lanzhou | 2,438,595 | 2,628,426 | 3,616,163 | GS | 2010-11-01 | |
| 8 | Yinchuan | 1,159,457 | 1,290,170 | 1,993,088 | NX | 2010-11-01 | |
| 9 | Xining | 1,153,417 | 1,198,304 | 2,208,708 | QH | 2010-11-01 | |
| 10 | Mianyang | 967,007 | 1,355,331 | 4,613,871 | SC | 2010-11-01 | |
| 11 | Nanchong | 890,402 | 1,858,875 | 6,278,614 | SC | 2010-11-01 | |
| 12 | Baoji | 871,940 | 1,437,802 | 3,716,737 | SN | 2010-11-01 | |
| 13 | Wanzhou | 859,662 | 1,563,050 | CQ | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 14 | Luzhou | 742,274 | 1,371,233 | 4,218,427 | SC | 2010-11-01 | |
| 15 | Xianyang | 730,704 | 945,420 | 5,096,001 | SN | 2010-11-01 | |
| 16 | Hechuan | 721,753 | 1,293,028 | CQ | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 17 | Zunyi | 715,148 | 1,094,871 | 6,127,082 | GZ | 2010-11-01 | |
| 18 | Luzhou | 742,274 | 1,371,233 | 4,218,427 | SC | 2010-11-01 | |
| 19 | Jiangjin | 686,189 | 1,233,149 | CQ | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 20 | Leshan | 678,752 | 1,211,237 | 3,235,759 | SC | 2010-11-01 | |
| 21 | Zigong | 666,204 | 1,262,064 | 2,678,899 | SC | 2010-11-01 | |
| 22 | Panzhihua | 631,258 | 787,177 | 1,214,121 | SC | 2010-11-01 | |
| 23 | Fuling | 595,224 | 1,066,714 | CQ | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 24 | Neijiang | 586,445 | 1,251,095 | 3,702,847 | SC | 2010-11-01 | |
| 25 | Xuanwei | 584,076 | 1,302,891 | YN | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 26 | Yongchuan | 582,769 | 1,024,708 | CQ | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 27 | Suining | 549,826 | 1,295,885 | 3,252,619 | SC | 2010-11-01 | |
| 28 | Yibin | 549,650 | 836,340 | 4,471,896 | SC | 2010-11-01 | |
| 29 | Tianshui | 544,441 | 1,197,174 | 3,262,549 | GS | 2010-11-01 | |
| 30 | Deyang | 530,122 | 735,070 | 3,615,758 | SC | 2010-11-01 | |
| Lhasa | 199,159 | 279,074 | 559,423 | XZ | 2010-11-01 |
China's current development policy for its western regions is laid out in the Guiding Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting the Development of the West in the New Era and Forming a New Pattern.[5] This policy seeks to improve key industries and national development, particularly in aircraft manufacturing.
Infrastructure developed through the Belt and Road Initiative has helped to reduce the imbalance between western China and the country's more developed eastern region.[6]