Beijing and Shanghai have been found to be the two most modernized areas on the Chinese mainland, according to a recent study on modernization strategies conducted by a national research group, a source with the group said Friday. 　　

Shanghai was the leader in the "first modernization drive", characterized by industrialization and urbanization, followed by Beijing, just three percentages points behind. Also close behind were Tianjin municipality, and Liaoning and Jiangsu provinces.

With respect to the "second modernization drive" driven by knowledge and information, Beijing was first, followed by Shanghai, eight percentage points behind, and then Tianjin, Liaoning and Sha'anxi provinces, all in northern China.

Experts acknowledged that the two modernization drives continue to move ahead simultaneously.

Research outcome indicates that six Chinese regions, namely Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, belong to the highly-modernized world with indices in both areas exceeding the world average.

Meanwhile, the 11 modernized provinces are Liaoning, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Heilongjiang, Guangdong, Jilin, Hubei, Sha'anxi, Fujian, Shandong and Shanxi.

Less-modernized provinces, municipalities or autonomous regions include Chongqing, Hebei, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Hunan,Qinghai, Sichuan, Hainan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Henan, Gansu, Guizhou, Yunnan and Tibet. These 17 regions have yet to enter the second modernization drive, noted the research.

While the disparities between regions in the area of industrialization and urbanization are further narrowing, the source disclosed, experts warn that the disparities between regions in the area of knowledge and expertise keep widening.

(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2003)