Amid inspection tour, president urges Hebei city’s high-quality development

President Xi Jinping called for strategic resolve and historical patience to make efforts to build the Xiong’an New Area, dubbed China’s “city of the future”, into an innovation hub in the new era and a model of promoting high-quality development.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks on March 23 while inspecting the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei province, about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing.

As a “millennium plan” and a project with national significance, the Xiong’an New Area has been designed to relieve Beijing of functions that are nonessential to its role as the nation’s capital, and to boost the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Since China announced plans to establish the Xiong’an New Area in April 2017, it has evolved from a blueprint into a vibrant city.

Xi has attached great importance to the construction and development of the Xiong’an New Area. The trip this week marked his fourth inspection tour of Xiong’an since 2017.

In the morning on March 23, Xi viewed construction progress in the startup zone and visited China Huaneng Group and the Xiong’an campus of Beijing No 4 High School to learn about the new area’s development.

He also greeted representatives of officials and staff from organizations whose functions were transferred from Beijing, and which have moved in or whose facilities are under construction.

In the afternoon, Xi chaired a symposium on further advancing the high-quality construction and development of the new area. He noted that major achievements have been made in the current stage of construction and development of Xiong’an.

Practice has fully proved that the decision of the CPC Central Committee to build the Xiong’an New Area is totally correct, and all aspects of related work are solid and effective, he said.

Xi pointed out that to further advance the high-quality construction and development of the new area, it is crucial to adhere to its role of taking on the functions transferred from Beijing because they were not essential to its role as the nation’s capital.

He urged efforts to actively and steadily advance the construction of relocation projects for centrally administered State-owned enterprises, universities and hospitals; promote in an orderly manner the relocation of financial institutions, research institutes and public institutions; and support the relocated organizations for better development.

Xi emphasized the need to improve public services, with a focus on ensuring and improving people’s well-being, and he called for actively exploring future-oriented smart city management models and building Xiong’an into a beautiful city with a blue sky, green land and clear water.

He said that the Xiong’an New Area should use reform and innovation as a driving force to promote the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation, develop new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions, and cultivate a modern industrial system that aligns with the actual situation of the new area.

The high-level construction of the Zhongguancun Science Park in Xiong’an should be promoted to facilitate the transformation of more scientific and technological research achievements into industrial applications, he said.

Xi highlighted the need to promote the development of industrial clusters for emerging and future industries, actively develop the producer service industry, and support the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries.

Li Qiang, Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang, who are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, accompanied Xi for the inspection and attended the symposium.

Contact the writers at caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn