Xi hails Xiong'an as 'city of future'

President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, greets residents on Wednesday while inspecting the Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province. [Photo/Xinhua]

President Xi Jinping underlined on Wednesday the importance of promoting the high-quality development of Xiong'an New Area with unremitting efforts and building it into a "city of the future", a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, and a model of green 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 during an inspection tour of Xiong'an. Covering 1,770 square kilometers, the area is located about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing.

On April 1, 2017, China announced the decision to establish Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province, to relieve Beijing of functions not essential to its role as the national capital and to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

During the one-day tour, Xi visited the Xiong'an high-speed railway station, a residential community and a construction site.

When talking with local residents, Xi said he has a strong connection to Hebei, where he used to work, and it is his wish for it to develop well. The construction of Xiong'an has lasting importance for the millennium to come, so it is important to be patient and take solid steps in a constant manner, he said.

Speaking at a symposium, Xi said that over the past six years, the new area has witnessed major improvements in infrastructure construction, ecological protection, and reform and opening-up.

Preliminary progress has been made in relieving Beijing of functions not essential to its role as the nation's capital, and the resettlement of local residents has taken place in an orderly manner, he said.

Xi said it was a miracle that a high-level modern city is taking shape from a blueprint and this is not an easy thing, particularly given the COVID-19 pandemic over the past three years and the unprecedented changes that the world is undergoing.

It has been proved that the CPC Central Committee's major decision to establish the new area was absolutely right, he said, calling for efforts to fully and faithfully implement strategic arrangements made by the top Party leadership on all fronts.

To ensure that the construction and development of Xiong'an proceed in the correct direction, Xi said it is necessary to appropriately deal with relationships between near-term targets and medium- and long-term targets, the speed of urban construction and the size of its population, the transfer of industries and industrial upgrading, and the government and market.

It is also important to strike a balance between relieving Beijing of its nonessential functions and promoting the new area's development, he said.

According to the Hebei provincial government, China's centrally administered State-owned enterprises had set up more than 140 subsidiaries and branches in Xiong'an as of January. The new area plans to speed up the construction this year of the headquarters of four centrally administered State-owned enterprises, four universities and two hospitals.

Xi noted that efforts to relocate centrally administered State-owned enterprises and their subsidiaries should continue and the relocation of financial institutions, scientific research institutes and other public institutions should be planned.

During the process, it is important to refine and implement policies and measures concerning children's education, as well as the healthcare, housing and other issues related to the public welfare of those affected, he said.

Xi urged efforts to build a world-class business environment that is market-oriented and law-based and to introduce a package of supporting policies to attract domestic and international resources and capital to participate in building the new area.

He also stressed the importance of adhering to the people-centered philosophy in the development of Xiong'an and solving problems involving the people's immediate interests to ensure their sense of fulfillment and happiness.

Xi was accompanied by Premier Li Qiang, Cai Qi, who is director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang. Li, Cai and Ding are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.