Zhengzhou - Henan province is planning to develop a "Central China Economic Zone" to make itself one of the driving forces of China's economy.

Central China's Henan province is located far from economic zones such as the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta and the Bohai-Ring area.

"It's hard for Henan to benefit from these coastal economic zones or to merge into them," Zhu Huanran, vice-director of the Development and Reform Commission of Henan province, said on Monday at the opening ceremony of the "Internet Media View Henan" activity.

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The Central China Economic Zone, newly listed in the country's national strategic economic planning and also listed in the 12th Five Year Plan (2011-2015), will help Henan to develop rapidly and well, and will allow this inland province to contribute much to China's economy.

The Central China Economic Zone will cover the entire province of Henan, and may include neighboring areas.

Strategically, the economic zone will change its agricultural development model and make itself a modern grain base for China.

It will increase the construction of infrastructure and do full justice to its location as a transportation and logistics hub. It will seize the opportunity of industrial transfer from coastal regions to China's inland.

It will try to transform the population pressure on human resources so it works to their advantage. It will also speed up its industrialization and urbanization in a low-carbon way.

Besides, the zone will make full use of its cultural resources and try to improve cultural attractiveness of central China.

The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning agency, is drafting guidelines for the development of this new economic zone, according to Zhu.