China unveiled plans on Saturday to create a state-level "new area" near its capital city Beijing, to help phase out non-capital functions out of the crowded metropolitan area.
The "Xiongan New Area" is located around 100 kilometers (62.1 miles) southwest from downtown Beijing. Three counties and their surrounding lands are included in the new area.
Xiongan will have an initial area of 100 square kilometers (24710.5 acres), and will incrementally increase in size over the long-term until it is 20 times larger than its initial area.
The area's development plan. /CGTN Picture
The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Chinese government are assigning strategic significance on the area, calling it "a plan in a thousand years" in a circular they issued.
The significance of the new area. /CGTN Picture
China now has 18 state-level new areas. The most well-known area is Pudong New Area that was inaugurated in Shanghai in 1992. The area's economic total grew 117 times in 25 years from 1990 to 2014.
China also set up special economic zones to boost trade, the first of which was set up in southern China's Shenzhen in 1980. The city was then transformed from a fishing village into China's fourth largest metropolis.
The circular said Xiongan has equal significance to Pudong and Shenzhen.
Why here?
Map of the Xiongan New Area. /CGTN Picture
The Xiongan New Area sits at the center of the triangular area formed by Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei's provincial capital Shijiazhuang.
The set up of Xiongan came after China's decision to "coordinate the development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region," which means to cultivate new methods of development in densely-populated areas like Greater Beijing.
Presidential remarks
Chinese President Xi Jinping has been studying the BTH region since 2012. His most recent activity in the region was a field-inspection made on February 23, 2017 in Hebei's Anxin county -- one of the three counties covered by the Xiongan New Area.
Xi Jinping on a field inspection in Hebei's Anxin county on February 23, 2017. /CCTV Picture
Anxin county, where President Xi visited in February 2017. /Xinhua Photo
President Xi said the area has been assigned seven important tasks:
1. Becoming a global first-class city featuring green and smart modernization;
2. Creating an eco-city with a beautiful environment;
The Baiyangdian lake in Xiongan New District, known as "the pearl of north China". /Xinhua Photo
3. Developing high-end and new industries;
4. Providing high-quality public services and infrastructure;
5. Building an efficient and green transportation system;
6. Stimulating the local market with governmental measures;
7. Widely opening up to foreign countries.
