文章模拟了运输成本和市场规模变化情景下市场潜力指数的变化,模拟结果表明,大部分的西部省区在现阶段的运费水平之下,能够通过运输成本的降低有所受益。但是运输成本下降的空间十分有限,难以通过运输成本的降低根本的改善西部的市场通达性。因此现阶段,市场规模是造成东西部地区之间市场潜力差异的主要原因。西部大开发进程中,国家首先致力于改善西部的投资环境,进行了大规模的基础设施建设。但是运输成本降低在改善西部地区市场通达性的同时,也减小了西部资源东运的成本。西部地区市场规模狭小,东部地区强大的市场引力作用吸引了资源的东运和制造业的集聚,成为了阻碍西部地区资源开发的逆向作用力。要对抗东部沿海地区的强大集聚引力、实现西部地区的资源开发、促进西部地区的工业化进程,就必须改善西部地区的市场通达性。因此,在推进基础设施建设的同时,西部开发应该更加重视扩大内需,增强市场引力作用。
Market Potential is an indicator of market accessibility of manufacturing in a region, in which transportation cost and market scale play an important role. This paper focuses upon the effects of transportation cost and market scale on market accessibility and natural resources exploitation in the West China. In China, Market Potential Index (MPI) degrades from the coast areas to inland areas. The western part with plentiful natural resources can not attract effectively manufacturing because of the bad market accessibility, so that the economic development depends mainly on mining and primary products of natural resources. In recent years, with the implementation of the strategy of west development, infrastructure of transportation in the west part has got improved. However manufacturing sectors still tend to converge in the coast areas continuously. This paper simulated how transportation cost down and enlargement of market scale affect market accessibility in the western part. The simulation results show that MPI in most regions of the west part will go up if transportation cost decline. However the improvement of market accessibility with decline in transportation cost is quite limited. It implies that it is limited to improve market accessibility through reducing transportation cost in future. Market scale is more important factor which results in regional disparity of market accessibility. Narrow local market scale of the western part restricts improvement in market accessibility. It is believed that to promote natural resource exploitation of the western part needs to pay much attention and efforts to enlargement of its local market scale.