Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province is growing vigorously and changing with each passing day, showcasing the bright prospects of Chinese modernization and high-quality development, said a top official of the national-level economic zone.

"We will create a first-class business environment that is market-driven, law-based and internationally oriented, attracting both domestic and foreign investment for its development," Zhang Guohua, a deputy to the National People's Congress and secretary of the Working Committee of Xiong'an New Area of the Communist Party of China Hebei Provincial Committee, told China Daily.

The new area, established in 2017 and located about 100 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing, was designed to relieve Beijing of functions not essential to its role as the Chinese capital.

The area aims to become a high-level socialist modern city, an important part of the world-class urban agglomeration in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, a new engine of the modern economic system and a national model for promoting high-quality development.

"From scratch, it has thrived, transforming from a plot of land into a blueprint, and now into a city," Zhang said.

Currently, the total development area of Xiong'an spans 202 square km, with 50.3 million square meters of floor space. A total of 4,806 buildings have been constructed, and 804 km of new roads have been laid.

"Its urban infrastructure, public service and commercial service functions are steadily improving," Zhang said, adding that the area has evolved into a thriving hub, with widespread enthusiasm and collaborative efforts driving its development.

In terms of the new area's major role of receiving noncapital functions from Beijing, China Satellite Network Group was one of the first of the relocated enterprises and has fully moved to Xiong'an, while Sinochem Holdings and China Huaneng Group will relocate in the second half of this year. All three are central State-owned enterprises that are conglomerates in their respective fields.

In addition, since 2023, 104 secondary and tertiary subsidiaries of central enterprises have settled there, and central enterprises have established more than 300 various branches.

The locations of the second group of relocated projects have basically been determined, and the third group is being promoted in an orderly manner, Zhang said.

While attracting business giants from various fields, Xiong'an focuses on building a hub of innovation and a hotbed of entrepreneurship in the new era, with the strategy of innovation-driven development being fully implemented.

"By giving play to the leading role of the relocated central enterprises, the industrial chain of aerospace information and satellite internet has gradually taken shape," Zhang said.

More than 10 innovation platforms, such as the Science and Technology Innovation Center and Zhongguancun Science Park have been established, forming an innovation system covering all links from original innovation to large-scale commercial application, he added.

Meanwhile, 17 top-level academician-led projects have successively settled in Xiong'an, and 37,900 talented personnel have chosen to stay to pursue their dreams.

There's another reason that business giants and talent were attracted to the area — Xiong'an is at the cutting edge of China's reform and opening-up.

According to Zhang, a total of 175 reform tasks in 12 aspects have been determined, forming a series of institutional mechanisms with Xiong'an characteristics, and systematically promoting the modernization of the governance system and capacity.

In addition, a total of 41 institutional innovation achievements have been made, and open platforms such as a high-tech zone, a free-trade zone, a comprehensive bonded zone and a cross-border e-commerce industrial park have been built.

"Our goal is to build an innovative, charming and future-oriented city that is magnificent and desirable," Zhang said.