Use of nonlinear mapping in regional cooperation level analysis of shandong peninsular urban agglomeration and tianjin binhai new area

With the rapid development of economy in Tianjin Binhai New Area (TBNA), the regional cooperation has been strengthened in the Areas around the Bohai Sea. As an important part of the Circum-Bohai economic circle, Shandong Peninsular Urban Agglomeration (SPUA) has the regional cooperation advantages in every aspect with TBNA. So it is important to study the regional cooperation level between them. In this study, the clustering analysis was conducted on the regional cooperation level between 8 cities belonged to SPUA and TBNA by the non-linear mapping. The results indicated clearly that Qindao and Dongying have high competitiveness and low cooperation level with TBNA, and Jinan, Yantai and Weihai show relatively tight co-operative relationship with TBNA, whereas Rizhao, Zibo and Weifang exhibit a high complementarity and good cooperation prospects with TBNA. Finally, the detailed development strategies for regional cooperation in study areas were put forward based on the results of the clustering Analysis. Also the non-linear mapping proposed provides a new method for quantitative analysis of the regional cooperation level.