(Yicai Global) Jan. 16 -- Guangdong province will get rid of a physical barrier set up to sperate the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone from surrounding areas, China Internet Information Center reported. Its demolition aims to promote more balanced development in the region.

The State Council has approved the teardown of the barbed-wire land border, which is 84.6 kilometers long and 2.8 meters high.

China's cabinet said yesterday that its decision came against the backdrop of "new circumstances, new missions and new tasks for the SEZ."

Construction of the wall began in 1982. It spans from the Beizai coast by Mirs Bay in the East to Anle village in Nantou town in the West.

The border became obsolete in 2010, after the State Council approved plans to extend Shenzhen SEZ to cover parts of the city such as the Bao'an and Longgang districts, expanding the zone to nearly five times its original size.

Authorities reassigned all officers and soldiers working Shenzhen Special Economic Zone checkpoints to other border defense departments in 2014. The management line has been reduced to a nominal existence, marked by the surrounding buildings and vehicle inspection channels, safety strips, guard posts and other facilities.