Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin integration on track

A plan aimed at integrating Beijing's development with two adjacent provincial areas will be submitted to the country's top economic planning body this week, after rumors that the strategy has been postponed.

The plan includes Beijing municipal government's potential cooperation with two neighboring provincial areas, Hebei province and Tianjin municipality, Aastocks.com reported on Monday. The report said that, among other potential cooperation under way, Beijing and Hebei province have managed to hammer out at least one cooperation that could involve an investment of 5 billion yuan ($805 million) on five aspects - the building of industrial parks, environmental protection, rail transportation construction, automobile manufacturing and logistics.

The idea of coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province gained momentum after President Xi Jinping envisioned the grand strategy in late February. The three provincial areas, covering 107 million people, are drawing up respective plans to materialize the strategy, and a national plan will be worked out based on the three proposals.

Fan Hengshan, vice-general-secretary of the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press conference previously that the national strategy is expected to optimize industrial layout and improve the allocation of the resources. But China Business News reported that the release of the strategy has been delayed from the previous estimate of June.

Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform did not respond to China Daily's request to confirm the authentication of the report as of Monday afternoon, but Dai Ying, a media official from the commission, said the commission is leading the drafting of the plan.