Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli attends a conference on the development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, known as the Jingjinji area, on July 24. (Photo : www.english.gov.cn)
The government is expected to reach its goal of coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, known as the Jingjinji area, by 2030, an official from a working team dealing with the plan said on Sunday, Aug. 23, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
According to the report, there are two interim targets for the initiative set by the working team, and Beijing's noncore functions, including some manufacturing facilities, health care and education entities, are expected to be relocated by 2017.
The pressure of congestion and air pollution would be eased by 2020, as the population of Beijing is expected to be controlled at 23 million, the report added.
Under the development plan, Beijing will serve as the national political and cultural center, while Tianjin will be developed into a manufacturing base and a shipping and financial hub.
On the other hand, Hebei Province will be groomed to become a pilot zone for industrial upgrading and urbanization, since it is less developed than Beijing or Tianjin.
Zhu Erjuan, a professor at the Capital University of Economics and Business, noted that the reorganization of the region reflected the competitive advantages of each area and boosted cooperation in the region.
An official of the working team said that 36 wholesale markets in Beijing have been relocated and the headquarters of some state-owned enterprises have moved to Hebei Province, as part of the initiative to boost coordinated development in the entire region.
Xinhua reported in July that improvement of the regional transportation network under the initiative is being carried out, as the government plans to build 27 inter-city high-speed railways in the next few years.
"Development gaps among the three places, such as in public services, should be further reduced in a bid to guarantee the flow of talent," Zhu was quoted as saying.
Zhang Gui, deputy director of the Center for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Development Research at the Hebei University of Technology, said that although progress has been made, some places in Hebei that want to accept industries from Beijing lack talent, capital and land resources for them.
