BEIJING, Feb. 22 -- Senior leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Thursday stressed efforts to build Xiongan New Area into a "high-quality modern socialist city."

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting attended by members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

The area, established in April 2017, is a new economic zone about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing in Hebei Province. It is the third new area of national significance after the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area.

CPC leaders agreed that building the new area is a "historic project" after hearing a report about the progress on a development plan for Xiongan.

The new area is significant for helping phase out some non-capital functions from Beijing, exploring a new model of development in densely populated areas, restructuring the layout of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, promoting high-quality development, and creating a new engine for the modernized economy, according to a statement released after the meeting.

Designing of the new area plan has made important progress on the basis of thorough investigation, feedback from different parties, and revisions and improvements, said the statement.

The planning and building of Xiongan New Area should feature a global perspective and an international standard with Chinese characteristics, making it a national model in promoting high-quality development, it said.

The meeting also stressed a reasonable layout for the city, with innovation in accordance with the regional culture and landscape.

Efforts should be made to build a digital and intelligent city, with an emphasis on green development, according to the statement.

A string of national innovative platforms and efficient transportation networks should be created in the area, it said.

Measures should be taken to support Xiongan in accelerating reform and opening up, while a number of major projects should be launched at an appropriate time, it said.