Overall plan released for Xiongan New Area
China has set 38 key targets to establish the Xiongan New Area as an innovationdriven, ecologically friendly and convenient place to live, according to an overall plan for the area released on Friday.
The plan was approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council. The new area was established in April 2017, covering three counties in Hebei province.
Xiongan is another new area of national importance following the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area, according to the document.
In the first phase, an area of about 100 square kilometers between the counties of Rongcheng and Anxin will be developed. The area for medium-term development will expand to about 200 square km and will be built gradually, the plan said.
Many of Beijing’s non-capital functions will be transferred to Xiongan while some of Beijing’s population will be relocated as well. The new area will be home to some of Beijing’s colleges, hospitals, business headquarters, and financial and public institutions.
The plan said Xiongan should be built into a world-leading digital city with more than 90 percent of its infrastructure categorized as smart. Taking ecology as one of its priorities, Xiongan’s forest coverage will increase to 40 percent.
The new area should advance innovationdriven development and create a modern industrial system in its building of a livable and business-friendly city. The plan prohibits skyscrapers as a matter of principle.
The area’s development should be integrated with the neighboring cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang and Baoding in Hebei, the plan added.