BEIJING, Dec. 26 -- Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli on Friday stressed the implementation of the program for coordinated development of municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin and Hebei Province.

Zhang urged further improving the blueprint of the overall program and designing of special plans for different fields.

Relocating non-core functions from Beijing that enjoy consensus and have foreseeable effects should be a priority, and breakthroughs are needed in three key areas -- traffic integration, environmental protection and industry transfer, he said.

With a total population of more than 100 million, Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei are confronted with many similar problems, including a deteriorating environment and widening gaps among regions as well as between urban and rural areas.

Integrated development of the three regions has accelerated since early 2014 when the central government made it a national priority.