The development plan for Wuhan metropolitan area has been approved by National Development and Reform Commission, Hubei Provincial Development and Reform Commission said on December 7, 2022.

This is the seventh development plan for metropolitan area approved by the state after Nanjing, Fuzhou, Chengdu, Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan, Xi'an and Chongqing. 

The letter of approval pointed out that infrastructure interconnection, industrial specialization, public service co-construction, joint prevention and control of security risks should be pushed forward to promote the common development of Wuhan and its surrounding areas, so as to provide strong support for the integrated development of urban agglomerations in the middle reaches of Yangtze River and better serve the development of Yangtze River Economic Belt.

The report of the 12th Hubei Provincial Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) proposed to speed up the construction of three metropolitan areas with Wuhan, Xiangyang and Yichang as the centers, of which Wuhan metropolitan area should be the main engine. (en.hubei.gov.cn by Ruan Xinqi)