Tongzhou, Hebei transformed as duties transfer from Beijing

Xiong'an New Area and city's Municipal Administrative Center develop at brisk pace

Beijing has been shifting functions that are non-essential to its role as the national capital to the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center in Tongzhou district and Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province to avoid "big city malaise".

The two areas serve as the "wings "of downtown Beijing and they are entering a new phase of development.

Beijing acts as the "core" in the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster. The relocation of non-capital functions and urban renewal efforts have provided valuable space for Beijing's industrial upgrading.

In late April, Beijing Spacecrafts' Zhongguancun factory completed its renovation and reopened as the Beijing Spacecrafts Science Park, which houses industry leaders such as the Beijing Academy of Blockchain and Edge Computing and Hygea Medical Technology.

"The science park is a successful joint effort by central and local State-owned enterprises to vitalize the State-owned assets in Haidian district," He Jianwu, deputy director of Zhongguancun Science City's administrative committee, told Economic Daily.

After the relocation and renovation, high-end industries in Beijing have acquired more space for development. In 2022, newly established business entities specializing in technology, commerce, culture and information accounted for 65.6 percent of the total number of such entities in the city.

The layout of Beijing's education and healthcare resources has also been enhanced by building new facilities for eight universities, including the Beijing Film Academy and 15 healthcare institutions, such as the Beijing Tiantan Hospital.

More than 560 pocket parks and small green spaces, as well as 1,050 larger parks, have been created using the freed-up spaces.

Since 2019, 17,000 municipal officials moved their offices to the Municipal Administrative Center in Tongzhou district. The Canal Business District in the administrative center is now home to more than 20,000 registered enterprises, many of which have relocated from downtown Beijing.

The China Beijing Green Exchange, which has moved from the downtown area to the Canal Business District, has been upgraded into a national-level green exchange that serves the global community. The move is expected to support the administrative center's efforts to become a national demonstration zone for green development.

Lin Zhenghang, director of the Canal Business District's administrative committee, said to Economic Daily that the district is in its early stages of development and aims to become an international financial center comparable to London's Canary Wharf, which is home to numerous bank headquarters.

Creating a comfortable living environment is another focus for the administrative center, which is home to many recreational facilities, such as Xihaizi Park and the Canal Culture Square.

The local Dongfang Chemical Factory has been transformed into the Central Green Forest Park. Through soil restoration efforts, once-polluted land is now home to more than 50 different species of wildlife, making it the largest green space in the administrative center.

The ongoing construction of multiple office buildings in Xiong'an New Area underscores its growing significance in Beijing's relocation initiative. Among the projects are the headquarters of Sinochem Holdings Corp and China Huaneng Group.

"We will build high-quality urban office spaces and accelerate the development of industrial space carriers," Zhai Wei, deputy general manager of China Xiongan Group, told Economic Daily.

Xiong'an is steadily advancing the construction of functional zones, including a science park, a university park and a financial island. More than 150 institutions have been established in Xiong'an by China's centrally administered State-owned enterprises.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster is one of China's most economically dynamic, open and innovative areas. In 2022, the combined economic output of the three regions exceeded 10 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion).

In 2022, Beijing and Zhangjiakou in Hebei province jointly hosted the Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

Zhao Lidong, executive deputy director of the administrative committee of the Taizicheng ice and snow town in Zhangjiakou's Chongli district, told Beijing Daily that the Games have brought considerable event organization experience and a valuable pool of talented individuals to Chongli.

Another important dimension of successful coordinated development is the provision of cross-regional government services, which benefit both businesses and individuals. Beijing and Tianjin initiated cooperation in this area in 2020. In March 2021, an official agreement was signed, breaking down regional barriers in government services.

In recent years, Beijing has been promoting the online processing of inter-regional government services within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. More than 230 service items, including company registration and social security, can now be handled remotely across the three regions.

huyuyan@chinadaily.com.cn