Special economic zones were initiated by Deng Xiaoping, and established in the late1970s and early1980s. In April1979, the central leadership acted upon Deng's suggestion and decided to designate certain areas in Guangdong and Fujian provinces as "special export zones." These areas were chosen first as they could exploit their geographical locations near Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and their close ties with overseas Chinese. In May1980, the name "special export zones" was changed to "special economic zones," and in August, the Standing Committee of the Fifth National People's Congress decided to build special economic zones in Guangdong's Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou, and Fujian's Xiamen.