China to further promote integrated development of Beijing's sub-center, neighboring areas

BEIJING -- China will further promote integrated and high-quality development of Beijing's sub-center and neighboring areas, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

To promote the coordinated high-quality development of Beijing's sub-center in Tongzhou District and the neighboring Sanhe City, Xianghe County and Dachang Hui Autonomous County in Hebei Province is a key task in promoting the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

An NDRC senior official said it will help guarantee Beijing's capital functions, resolve urban diseases, support the construction of Beijing's sub-center, improve Beijing's spatial layout and economic structure, and stimulate the development of surrounding areas.

The official highlighted major tasks in five areas, including concerted pollution control, infrastructure connectivity, industrial coordination, public service sharing, and reform and innovation.

Strict measures will be taken to control air pollution in the region, and the protection of river and lake shorelines will be strengthened. Trans-regional rail transit construction will be accelerated, and persistent road congestion will be solved. The construction, operation and management of an integrated transport network will be improved.

New services such as digital and cultural industries and leisure and health care will be prioritized, and traditional competitive sectors from food processing to furniture manufacturing will be transformed and upgraded.

Efforts will be made to introduce high-quality basic and vocational education resources found in Beijing to Sanhe, Xianghe and Dachang in Hebei Province, and to comprehensively enhance health and elderly care in the region.

State-owned enterprises of Beijing will be supported in participating in the overall development of Sanhe, Xianghe and Dachang in Hebei Province, and social capital will be encouraged in profitable projects including industrial parks, public services, infrastructure, and ecological development.

With these efforts, the official expects that the non-capital functions of Beijing will be eased in an orderly manner, and that the region will become an example of regional coordinated development.

By 2035, Tongzhou and the three places in Hebei will foster a more mature and complete system for integrated high-quality development. The ecological environment will see fundamental improvement, a smart, green, efficient and convenient public transport system will be built, and an innovation-led modern economic system will be basically established.

The innovation, industrial and supply chains will achieve integrated development, and productive factors and resources will be able to flow in an independent and orderly manner, while basic public services will be more accessible.