After the launch, Xiong'an entered a critical phase of planning and groundwork, with hundreds of experts and technical personnel mobilized to formulate its development framework. Phased progress was made on 19 specific plans and 24 specialized studies, covering issues such as eco-environmental restoration of Baiyangdian Lake, transportation and new-type urbanization.

This period of intensive research and planning culminated with the approval in April 2018 of the master plan document for building Xiong'an, which outlined the new area's development goals through 2035 and set forth a vision extending to the mid-21st century.

In 2019, as the building of Xiong'an transitioned from top-level planning to substantive construction, Xi made his second inspection of the area, choosing it as the first stop of a tour focused on the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

During the visit in January that year, he listened to briefings on the new area's development plans, supporting policies and construction progress, examined models of urban design for the initial development zone, and reviewed plans for major projects and key initiatives.

Highlighting the building of Xiong'an as "a strategy crucial for the millennium to come", Xi said that every inch of land should be clearly planned before construction begins, and urged meticulous efforts to ensure the development will stand the test of history.