Beijing focuses on quality of progress

Cai Qi, Beijing's Party chief, delivers a report to the 12th Party Congress of Beijing on Monday. Yan Tong/China Daily

Capital's Party chief says next 5 years crucial in city's urban development

In the next five years, Beijing will make crucial progress in developing into a harmonious international city and integrating with Hebei province and Tianjin, the capital's Party chief, Cai Qi, said on Monday.

In his report to the 12th Party Congress of Beijing, the newly elected Party chief said Beijing will hold an "exciting, extraordinary and wonderful" Winter Olympic Games in 2022.

Meanwhile, he said, the city will focus on the quality of urban development and improve the city's environment and competitiveness.

"Beijing's functions will be further upgraded and strengthened as the center of China's politics, culture, international communication and technological innovation," he said. "It will effectively be relieved of its noncore functions."

Beijing will enhance its support for the central government's events, raise the service level for international communications and establish a technological innovation center with global influence over the next five years, he said, adding that the city will have a new look when construction of its subcenter in Tongzhou district is completed and many major functions are transferred there.

In the city's economic sector, Cai calls for scientific and technological innovation to lead the way. The service industry, together with emerging industries, will continue to grow.

Beijing will completely eliminate energy intensive and high-polluting companies to ensure its air quality continues to improve. The green areas of the city will keep expanding and the government will actively promote the green lifestyle among the public, Cai said.

The city government will strictly limit urban development and cap the population.

According to Beijing's development plan for 2016-30, which was published in March, the city will limit its population to less than 23 million by 2020 and keep it at that level for a relatively long period afterward.

"The city government will work on improving the population structure and dealing with the aging problem," the plan says.

The central government announced plans to establish Xiongan New Area in April as part of measures to integrate the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and cure "urban ills" such as traffic congestion and air pollution in the capital.

Cai said that Beijing will actively strengthen cooperation with Xiongan on construction, policies and projects.

"Beijing will support Xiongan's needs during its construction and development," Cai said. "Xiongan and the city subcenter will be greatly beneficial to the capital's development."

Liu Bozheng, deputy director of the office overseeing the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration, said during a news conference earlier this month that Beijing will assist in planning and policy cohesion in sectors such as infrastructure construction, transportation integration and sharing public services with Xiongan.