China drafting Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei development plan

View of Beijing,Tianjin and Hebei province in map. April 14, 2014. [Photo/IC]

BEIJING - Intensive efforts are being made to draft an integration development plan for Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, a senior official of China's top economic planning body said Wednesday.

"Drafting of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development Program has advanced as we, together with other ministries, have completed a research report," said Fan Hengshan, deputy secretary general of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) told a press conference.

The neighboring areas are faced with problems in coordinating development, Fan said. Beijing is overpopulated and overloaded with functions, and there is no clear delineation of roles and functions in the three locations, he told reporters.

The Beijing urban circle has a combined area of 216,000 square km. and a combined GDP of over 6 trillion yuan (about $1 trillion) and a total population of 100 million. The integration program explores new urbanization models for Beijing as people flood into the capital seeking better education, medical care and jobs. There are also too many cities and townships in the region which is choked by uneven development, a water shortage, and serious air pollution.