本文在改革开放以来我国东西部经济发展差距日益扩大的地区经济发展格局下,在充分吸收前人研究成果和参阅大量文献的基础上,对改革开放二十年以来我国学术界对西部开发的研究著作、西部开发中关于东西部经济发展差距拉大的原因、西部经济开发战略、西部产业结构调整、西部开发的经济布局、西部开发中对外开放和区际贸易等问题一一做了评述,指出了西部开发研究工作中取得的成绩和今后研究中可资注意的有关问题。

The gap between the economy of east and West China became wider and wider since China's reform and opening-up policy. On the basis of the former research works and a great deal of references, this article mainly dicusses some of the important academic research works in the field of the development of West China after the implementation of reform and opening-up policy. It analyzes the respective theories and values of different academic works, pointing out that the strategies of the development of West China are always the emphasis of academic research on the development of economy of West China, though the researchers with different standingpoints have contributed respectively to the research of theory and practice of the development of West China in the past years, and achieved many achievements. The discussion on the reasons of economic underdevelopment of the West China causes the research of strategies of West China. With the community of the regional development of other nations, the gap between the east and the west of China is attributed to the unique systems and policies formed during the reform and development of China. The most important reason of the regional disparity between east and west part of China is the drastic changes of natural resources, capitals and human resources in different areas. The article also evaluates the strategies of the development of economy in West China, and analyzes similarities and differences between strategies and planning, pointing out that the strategies of the economic development can not be confused with the concrete economic plans, and that the concrete economic plans and the long-term projects can not take place of the research of the strategies of the economic development. In addition, it analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the adjustments of industrial structure and that high-tech should be the leading industry of West China; the economic structure of West China should be led by a compound, multi-layer and coordinated model. The author thinks that the country needs the further research on product and elements opening-up; moreover, we should lay emphasis on the policies of opening to the east in the opening-up of the west, and regional trade becomes more important. Regarding to the points above, researchers should put emphasis on the opening up and businesses among regions in the course of the development of West China.