Yangquan has a unique geographic position as it is the gateway between Shanxi and Hebei Province. It provides links to between coastal areas and the rest of China, with the city often used as a short cut to transport products from the coastal areas, inland. Yangquan is also in a strategic position to link western and eastern areas. With Taiyuan to its west and Shijiazhuang to its east, it is well facilitated economically by these two big cities, with the former being a heavy industrial city and the latter a light industrial one.