Private capital encouraged to invest in local projects: expert
Beijing plans to set up a new version of its Zhongguancun technology zone in Xiongan New Area, North China's Hebei Province, aiming to bring technological innovative resources to the area, media reports said Wednesday.
The Beijing Municipal government will give full support to the construction of Xiongan, seeking to forge the area into an open and innovative specialized zone that will have global influence, Beijing Business Today said, citing Cai Qi, secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Also, final tests and installation of smart car parking points, smart well lids and smart streetlight systems have been completed in the new area, domestic financial news portal cnstock.com reported.
Shares related to Xiongan rose Wednesday in Shenzhen bourse . Guangdong Redwall New Materials Co and Beijing Creative Distribution Automation Co closed up to 10 percent daily limit.
The Xiongan New Area, which was announced on April 1, reached the 100-day mark on Sunday.
The new area is about 100 kilometers southeast of Beijing, and spans three counties - Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin - that sit at the center of the triangular area formed by Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang, Hebei's capital.
The first 100 days have gone well, as many basic designs have been drawn up as part of the area's growth plan, which will guarantee its further advancement, Wang Danqing, a partner at the Beijing-based ACME consultancy, told the Global Times Wednesday.
The Xiongan New Area is "a strategy crucial for the next millennium," according to the Xinhua News Agency. "The prominent position of the new area has made the Xiongan brand well-known across the country," Wang noted.
In the first 100 days, the management institutions and personnel for the new area were ready and the industrial base of Xiongan received strong support as many Chinese enterprises vowed to move there, Wang said.
More than 30 central State-owned enterprises announced intentions to support the development of Xiongan within one week after the area was announced in early April.
Many companies in sectors including real estate and infrastructure have already entered Xiongan.
Listed arms or subsidiaries of some domestic enterprises have rented offices in the Xiongan New Area, such as China Railway Construction Engineering Group, China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute Corp and Power Construction Corp of China, The Beijing News reported Monday.
Their offices can be found near the temporary office of the Xiongan New Area Administration Committee, which is located in Rongcheng, the report said. The administration committee of the new area was officially approved by the central government on June 21, media reports said.
Specific plans for the Xiongan New Area have not yet been unveiled, an employee surnamed He who is with China Railway Construction Engineering Group, told The Beijing News. "The planning will be announced ... and we will participate in construction through project bidding," He was quoted as saying in the report.
Not only State-owned enterprises, but also private ones, are encouraged to contribute to the development of the new economic zone, Ma Wenfeng, an analyst at Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultancy, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Ma said that "private capital is expected to be introduced to the high-tech and information technology sectors in Xiongan, which could serve as a role model for the development of other places across the country in the future."
Ma warned that environmental protection should be a focus during the construction of the new area.
The growth of Xiongan will play a key role in promoting regional economic development, and transportation upgrades will bring those areas closer, experts said.
On July 6, two high-speed passenger trains connecting Beijing to the Xiongan New Area were put into use.
On June 26, about 75 central and local enterprises announced 68,000 job openings at a labor training and employment meeting held in the new economic area.
The new area has not started any construction projects and the previous overheated property market in the region has been effectively curbed, Director of the Xiongan New Area Administration Committee Chen Gang told the meeting.
