How China promotes regional economic integration

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In 2014, China initiated the strategy of coordinating the development of the capital, Beijing, with the development of its neighboring regions, Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province, to develop a better economic structure, a cleaner environment and improved public services.

In the ten years since, remarkable results have been achieved in the region's coordinated development. Also known as "Jing-Jin-Ji" for short, the region's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 90 percent to 10.4 trillion yuan ($1.43 trillion) from 2013 to 2023.

An integrated customs clearance reform was launched in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, which began to share a new information system for customs declaration, risk control, data checks and site work.

Efficient customs clearance supervision and service have bolstered export growth. In 2023, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region's imports and exports totaled 5.03 trillion yuan, achieving growth for a third consecutive year. It increased by 34.4 percent from 2014.

According to Liu Bozheng, executive deputy director of the Jing-Jin-Ji Joint Work Office for Coordinated Development, Beijing transferred over 74.87 billion yuan worth of technology to Tianjin and Hebei in 2023, more than 10 times the tech expenditure in 2013.

Over the past decade, enterprises in Zhongguancun, a major technology hub in Beijing, known as China's Silicon Valley, have set up more than 10,000 branches in Tianjin and Hebei, and other Beijing enterprises have invested 2.3 trillion yuan in companies in Tianjin and Hebei. 

'City of the future'

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

With an investment of over 670 billion yuan in 383 key projects, Xiongan is becoming a symbol of China's push towards futuristic urban planning, according to data from the Xiongan government.

The completion of the Beijing-Xiongan high-speed rail link stands out as a testament to the area's growing connectivity, alongside other flagship projects like the National Trade Center, which are moving forward methodically, said the local government.

Dubbed the "city of the future," Xiongan has been developing high-tech industries and modern service sectors, attracting the attention of international investors.

Godsword George Chinemerem, a 32-year-old Nigerian, is among the investors ready to get involved in the growth of the city.

George runs equipment trading companies in Shenzhen and Haikou, port cities in south China, and he decided to launch a logistics company in Xiongan due to his faith in China's futuristic city.

Registering a company in the city is simple for foreign businessmen, according to George, who finished the whole process and received his documents within one day.

"The administrative services are swift and contain no forms of racism. I'm very much welcome here, and I'm happy to be so," he told Xinhua News Agency.