Abstract: In this article the author put forward the following new tendency of regional economic cooperation in the Yangtze River Delta. First, a tendeney was observed from administration division economy to metropolitan circle economy. There are a series of remarkable differences, in running environment, mechanism, objectives, patterns and adjustment means and so on between the administrative division economy and the metropolitan circle economy, and the metropolitan circle economy is more adapted to the need of regional economic integration. This transformation manifests mainly two aspects, i. e. from internal urban unity to interurban joint development, and from enterprise alliance to metropolitan alliance. Second, the unilateral development across the river has become the bilateral corrdinated development spanning the river. For example, the development strategy spanning the river is implemented in Shanghai, South Jiangsu and Hangzhou. Third, the foreign capitaloriented economy has changed to the open economy. The combination of economic globalization and nongovernmentalization, foreign capital and native capital are important features of regional economic development. Lasd, the government has been more responsible, e. g. the formation of service government in Shanghai, the rational governing of Jiangsu, and by doing nothing against the nature of Zhejing.

Key words: metropolitan economic circle, development spanning the rivers, regional characteristic economy, service government