The transformation of Beijing from an industrial city to a modern capital in less than a decade has been achieved in conjunction with the development of the regional Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province cluster. The coordinated development strategy for the region was proposed by President Xi Jinping at a meeting on February 26, 2014, after his inspection tour of the capital. The national-level strategy aimed to coordinate the development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei to create the model for a better economic structure, cleaner environment and improved public services. Two “new wings” of the hub – Beijing’s subcenter in Tongzhou district and the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei, have also been established to realize this goal.
Since then, Beijing has made efforts to get rid of or relocate functions not essential to its role as the national capital through collaboration with Tianjin and Hebei. Nearly 3,000 manufacturing enterprises have been moved from Beijing, and 1,000 regional markets and logistics centers were either removed or upgraded, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform. Over 7,700 convenience service outlets opened citywide during this period, an indication of the capital’s new direction. Under the guidance of the national-level strategy, Beijing also became China’s first megacity, a metropolis with a population exceeding 10 million, to achieve sustainable economic growth while consuming fewer resources. The permanent population of the city’s major urban districts has declined by 15% since 2014. By strictly controlling construction in urban and rural areas, the city’s built-up areas have been reduced by 120 square kilometers, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform.
Even though the population has been reduced and less land allocated for construction, the capital’s economic growth has steadily increased. In 2021, Beijing’s GDP passed the CNY4 trillion mark for the first time, a year-on-year increase of 8.5%. Even with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the city’s GDP recorded a slight increase last year to reach CNY4.16 trillion.
Beijing’s GDP for the first half of this year was CNY2.06 trillion, a year-on-year growth of 5.5%. The city government said it expects the growth to continue. In May this year, after an inspection tour in Hebei, President Xi called for more efforts to develop the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regional hub and to make it a pioneer, and example, in pursuing Chinese modernization. He called on Hebei to focus on the primary task of high-quality development. The province’s strategic task is to create a new development model to accelerate building the province into an economic powerhouse with a sound environment, he said. Xi also called for greater efforts to relieve Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as the nation’s capital. He urged planning to start for the relocation of the headquarters of centrally administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and their subsidiary companies and innovation units to Xiong’an. Greater progress was also urged on developing the Beijing municipal administrative sub center in Tongzhou, as well as the Xiong’an New Area to effectively rid the capital of its “big city malaise”.
On July 20, Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei announced the establishment of a joint working office to promote their coordinated development. Key issues include the high-standard construction of the Xiong’an New Area and Beijing’s Tongzhou district. The high-quality development of three major counties in Hebei province is also high on the agenda. The growth of both Xiong’an and Tongzhou has helped in shifting many of the old industries and administrative functions away from Beijing. As of January, centrally administered SOEs had moved more than 140 subsidiaries and branches to Xiong’an, with more enterprises expected to be relocated, according to the Hebei provincial government, while schools and hospitals have been built in the area. Relocation of more of Beijing’s administrative institutions and enterprises to Tongzhou is also due to be accelerated. Tongzhou has received CNY100 billion in annual investment over the past three years, said Hu Jiulong, Deputy Director of the city’s sub center management committee.
The combined GDP of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei surpassed CNY10 trillion in 2022, which is 1.8 times the amount in 2013. Businesses and research institutes in the science and technology innovation sector have also been steadily moved from Beijing to the two other areas. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has made remarkable achievements in transportation integration in recent years. Among them is the establishment of a “one-hour commuting circle” between four cities – Beijing, Xiong’an, Tianjin and Baoding in Hebei. In the railway sector, the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway and the Beijing-Xiong’an intercity railway have also been put into operation. The total railway length in the region is now 1,352 kilometers. Meanwhile, national highways and urban roads in Beijing have been connected to 68 highways in Tianjin and Hebei, with a total road length of 22,363 kilometers, the China Daily reports.
