APPLY THE HIGHEST STANDARDS IN THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF XIONGAN NEW AREA

APPLY THE HIGHEST STANDARDS IN  THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT  OF XIONGAN NEW AREA*

February 23, 2017

The CPC Central Committee’s decision to develop the Xiongan New Area was tabled in the context of advancing the strategy of the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, a move decided by the Central Committee following the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012. This, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the Yangtze River Economic Belt are three national development initiatives. 

The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and the Political Bureau discussed the development plans for the Xiongan New Area and the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center at their meetings held in March and May of 2016 respectively. At the meetings, I underscored the strategic importance of the two projects for boosting the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region. These strategic projects have a long-term impact and bear on the national interests. In designing, planning and implementing the projects, we must adopt the most advanced concepts and world-class standards to ensure they will stand the test of history.

The decision to establish the Xiongan New Area is a monumental one. This project is central to relieving Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as the capital and driving the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region. It will have both an immediate and a far-reaching impact, as it explores optimal development models for densely populated regions and fine-tunes the urban layout and spatial configuration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei and cultivate a new engine for innovation-driven development of the whole country.

Across the world, people tend to solve urban malaise by building new cities outside the existing metropolises. Since the launch of reform and opening up, we have built the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Pudong New Area, which have in turn vigorously propelled the development of the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta. Now, the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center and the Xiongan New Area to be built outside Beijing’s city center will become two “wings” of the capital, and will afford new prospects for the development of the region. Meanwhile, there will also be two “wings” for Hebei Province — the Xiongan New Area and the Zhangbei area. Zhangbei’s development has been expedited thanks to the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It is crucial that we reach consensus on this, have a clear understanding, and view these initiatives from a broader historical perspective.

Phased results have been achieved in site selection, planning and initial groundwork for the Xiongan New Area. Located in the hinterland of Beijing, Tianjin and Baoding, the Xiongan New Area — with an advantageous geographical location, easy access to transport links, and favorable geological conditions in terms of land, water supply, and the environment — offers an ample space for development. All this has made Xiongan the first choice for relieving Beijing of its non-essential functions. 

Phased progress has also been made with regard to 19 specific plans and 24 specialized studies, covering such issues as eco-environmental restoration of Baiyangdian Lake, transport, and new-type urbanization. Preliminary drafts for initial development zones and for the detailed regulatory plan have taken shape. The goals behind the planning for the Xiongan New Area are to make it “an eco-friendly and liveable urban area”, “an area for leading innovation-driven development”, “a demonstration area for coordinated development”, and “a pilot zone for open development”, among others. All this aligns well with the Party Central Committee’s requirements and suits the actual conditions in Hebei. Hebei has conducted a lot of preparatory work for the development of the Xiongan New Area in terms of defining the scope for regulation and control, funding and financing, land requisition, demolition of old housing, and resettlement of residents.

For the planning and development of the Xiongan New Area, it is important we apply the highest standards and aim for the best results. In this regard, I would like to emphasize the following points:

First, we must adopt advanced concepts and the highest international standards in planning and building the Xiongan New Area. It will be part of the historical legacy that we leave to our future generations. Therefore, we must build the New Area into a demonstration zone for innovation-driven development, characterized by a global vision, international standards, Chinese features, and ambitious goals. To this end, we must adopt a people-centered approach, meet people’s needs, and build a liveable environment with a proper level of density, a green, low-carbon lifestyle, and excellent public services so that it will succeed in attracting people from Beijing into Xiongan and relieve Beijing of its non-essential functions. Spatial balance is critical. We must properly balance spaces for work, living, and the environment so that people will enjoy high standards of employment, housing, education and health care. To facilitate this, we will develop a fast and convenient urban transport network. 

Cultural heritage is another element we need to consider. We should build Xiongan into a distinctive city with traditional architectural elements in a contemporary setting and with the local cultural and historical heritage blended with modern features.

Here, I would like to emphasize the need to leverage the eco-environmental strengths of Baiyangdian Lake and improve its eco-environmental protection, as it is in the close proximity of the Xiongan New Area and serves as the “kidney of North China”. We should give top priority to conservation and green development. In this regard, we need to define red lines for urban development and for ecological conservation, observe the two red lines, and build a smart, green New Area of trees and lakes. 

Second, the plans and designs of the Xiongan New Area should meet the highest standards. We should make plans before taking actions and start the building of the New Area in accordance with them. Drawing on best international practices, we should compile a master plan for the New Area, a plan for the initial development zones, a detailed regulatory plan, and a plan for eco-environmental protection and governance of Baiyangdian Lake. We should give special attention to a series of special plans, covering such areas as social and economic development, transport, new-type urbanization, and land utilization. 

We should invite first-class planning talent from home and abroad to plan for the development of the Xiongan New Area. We should have a good plan before starting construction, leaving nothing to chance later. We must design individual buildings with meticulous care and pay special attention to the design details so that they will become benchmarks and models for future urban construction. Once a blueprint is adopted, it should be implemented through to the end. It is also important to coordinate the development plan of the New Area with those of neighboring cities like Baoding, Langfang and Cangzhou, in order to ensure a reasonable division of labor, a rational distribution of economic sectors, and complementary growth to avoid homogeneous competition.

Third, we should make a master plan for the development of the Xiongan New Area and implement it in a phased manner. This is a historic undertaking, and we must have great patience and work tirelessly for its success without concerning ourselves with any credit for our contribution. At the initial stage, we have mainly focused on the planning and preparation. Now that the plan has been approved and authorized, we have come to its implementation phase, in which we should respect the rules for urban development, maintain a reasonable pace, and try to make solid and steady progress.

We should advance the construction of major projects vigorously, yet in a well-coordinated and orderly manner, including projects such as the pre-requisition of entire pieces of land in the initial development zone, resettlement of residents from the requisitioned land in the pilot zones, housing construction in priority resettlement areas, and vital transport projects involving eco-environmental protection. Meanwhile, a number of key projects for relieving Beijing of its non-essential functions should be launched, as should the construction of infrastructure. We should synchronize these two projects which will yield early results. 

At the initial stage, we should identify some specific areas as priority areas for development in the initial development zone and channel more investment and efforts into these areas to increase their capacity to pool resources and enable them to play a leading and demonstration role. 

At the intermediate stage, we should take appropriate control measures and raise the threshold for setting up enterprises in the New Area to foster balanced growth. There should be clear red lines for development, and boundaries for regulation and control over land use for different functions, including land development so that land will be used efficiently and economically. We should try to prevent excessive expansion into urban sprawl. All projects in the Xiongan New Area must be subjected to due assessment and evaluation. Stringent rules must be introduced to screen and control those trying to start businesses in the New Area. Large-scale real estate development and illegal construction should be prohibited, and speculative investments should be prevented from flowing into the area to inflate the development costs. 

Regulation of the Beijing-Tianjin-Baoding triangle zone should be tightened, with the construction scale in the wider regions surrounding Xiongan under strict control and efforts for afforestation and wetland restoration greatly intensified, to the benefit of coordinated development of both the Xiongan New Area and its surrounding areas, both urban and rural. It is also important to address the concerns of residents due to be relocated, resolve problems arising from relocation and resettlement in the interests of these residents, and foster a favorable environment for the development of the Xiongan New Area. 

Fourth, it is important to pursue institutional reform and break new ground. Shenzhen Special Economic Zone has developed from a small fishing village to its present splendor. This success can be attributed to strong support from the central government and other parties, but more importantly to the reform and innovation that Shenzhen has introduced. As the Xiongan New Area is still a clean slate, less encumbered by vested interests, we must carry forward the spirit of reform and breaking new ground and make Xiongan a pacesetter in establishing new mechanisms and institutions. We should further institutional reform, design a rational and effective administrative institution, and pool all resources so as to develop a streamlined, effective and cohesive administrative body for the Xiongan New Area. This body should enjoy full authority for the administration of the New Area and improve service efficiency. We should rely on the market for financing construction. In this regard, we should put in place investment and financing platforms and explore financing channels, so as to provide financial support for the implementation of the project and for land requisition and relocation of residents. We should adopt new policies and reinforce studies to update policy. In this regard, we should intensify policy-oriented studies on land, fiscal issues, finance, and investment, among others, and encourage testing new ground. Some reform measures can be piloted in the Xiongan New Area first, and gradually extended and promoted elsewhere once they produce positive results. It is important to fully leverage the market’s decisive role in resource allocation and to reinforce the role of the government. To achieve this, it is necessary to further streamline government administration, delegate powers, improve regulation, provide better services, and boost market vitality. We should adapt to the new normal in economic development, explore new growth models, foster new growth drivers, and blaze new trails.

Fifth, we must promote coordinated regional development. The Xiongan New Area cannot develop all by itself. It must strengthen integrated development with cities like Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang and Baoding from the very beginning. Xiongan should not perform all the same functions as Beijing’s city center and the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center in order to pursue complementary development and avoid homogeneous competition. Xiongan, unlike other new areas, is primarily designed to take over Beijing’s non-essential functions. It will host entities now based in Beijing, including administrative and public institutions, corporate headquarters, financial institutions, institutions of higher education, and research facilities. Those that are not eligible should not be admitted to Xiongan. We should keep the broader picture in mind and start to study this issue now. We should transfer some important functions from Beijing to Xiongan, so that the New Area will be able to play an important role in driving development across south-central Hebei or even the entire Hebei Province. It will stimulate coordinated development of urban and rural areas, across the region, between social and economic sectors, and between the utilization of resources and the protection of the environment. In sum, it will spur the overall development of the entire province of Hebei.

There is one more point I would like to emphasize here. Providing equal access to basic public services is essential for relieving Beijing of its non-essential functions. As people always pursue a higher standard of living, localities that provide better public services have a greater appeal. Compared with Beijing and Tianjin, Hebei has noticeable gaps in both social undertakings and the quality of public services. In areas around Beijing and Tianjin, there are still some counties on the priority list for national poverty alleviation. As I have said before, this is strikingly incongruous, like wearing a mink coat with two large elbow patches. The Party Central Committee has paid close attention to this issue and has adopted a number of policy measures to narrow the gap. But it cannot be done overnight. We will bolster our support for Hebei to narrow the gap. Hebei, on its part, needs to actively create an enabling policy environment and provide quality public services. We should share quality education and medical resources and improve their allocation in the region. We should press ahead with poverty eradication and increase our support in terms of funds, projects, development of industries, and conservation of the eco-environment. Basic public services are vital to the interests of the people. We should ensure that people have easy access to them.

* Main part of the speech at a meeting on the development of the Xiongan New Area held in Anxin County, Hebei Province.

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