OREANDA-NEWS. Four provinces in the middle reach of the Yangtze River recently submitted an application to the State Council to request greater support from the nation's top government.

The move is seen as Anhui, Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi provinces' latest bid to expand into China's fourth economic engine, following the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, the Yangtze River Delta in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and Shanghai, and the Bohai Bay region including Hebei province, Beijing and Tianjin.

At April's Boao Forum for Asia, government leaders from the provinces agreed to strengthen regional cooperation in economic development, urbanization, infrastructure construction and environmental protection. Also, they pledged to work together for a state-level strategic program, which would guarantee generous financial support and favorable policies.

"We handed in a letter of request to the State Council a couple of days ago, calling for its backing of the economic integration of the provinces and applying for the strategic program," a source with the Anhui Development and Reform Commission said.