Integrated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei
Five years on:
Five years on, the regional integrated development has made remarkable progress. Let's have a look.
President Xi Jinping first called for the integrated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province at a symposium on Feb 26, 2014. Since then, coordinated development of the area has become one of the priorities of the central government.
Beijing relieved of its non-capital functions
The non-capital functions of Beijing have been transferred to the city's sub-center in Tongzhou district to reduce urban problems such as traffic jams and pollution.
In January 2019, Beijing's municipal government moved its offices from downtown to Tongzhou.
Over the past five years, 2,600 manufacturing firms and more than 700 markets in high-polluting or low-end industries have been phased out or moved to nearby regions.
The rise of Xiongan
In April 2017, China announced the establishment of Xiongan New Area, which is located some 100 km southwest of downtown Beijing, to advance the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.
Xiongan New Area spans the three counties of Xiongxian, Anxin and Rongcheng in Hebei province.
According to the 2018-2035 master plan on the development of Xiongan, it will become a modern city that is green, intelligent and livable by 2035.
Transport interconnectivity
Beijing Daxing International Airport, which sits at the junction of Beijing's Daxing district and Langfang city in Hebei province, is set to start operation this year.
The airport is designed to become an international aviation hub, and a comprehensive transport hub in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
The Capital Region Ring Expressway, a 940-km-road which mainly passes through Hebei, opened to traffic in August 2018.
It connects seven major highways radiating out of Beijing, and links 13 neighboring satellite cities, including the Xiongan New Area.
A high-speed railway linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou, two host cities ofthe Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, is set to open to traffic by the end of 2019.
More than 40 inter-provincial bus lines have been in operation between Beijing and 17 neighboring areas in Hebei, carrying 400,000 passengers every day.
A transit card for use on bus and subway systems in Beijing, Tianjin and cities in Hebei has been issued.
A high-speed railway line that links Tianjin and Beijing's new airport is set to begin construction this year, and an intercity railway line between Beijing and Xiongan is expected to begin operation by 2020.
Environment
Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei also work together to tackle air pollution.
PM2.5
The density of PM2.5 in the area has dropped by over 45% from 2013 to 2018.
