Beijing Monday unveiled cooperation agreements with Hebei Province on the construction of Xiongan New Area, a new development area southwest of the Chinese capital, according to a press conference by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform.
The agreements were signed after a group of the city's leaders and heads from Beijing's different districts, departments and state-owned enterprises paid a visit to the new area on Thursday.
The agreements focus on eight areas, namely, working mechanisms, scientific and technological innovations, transportation, ecology, industry, public services, construction plans, and talent exchanges.
Beijing will support cooperation between its Zhongguancun Science Park and Xiongan New Area to build a science park in the new area and accelerate the construction of transportation infrastructure between Beijing and the area, including a high-speed railway, an intercity railway, and an expressway.
Some Beijing-based state-owned enterprises such as Beijing Energy Investment Holding Co., Ltd. and Beijing Waterworks Group will provide services for the new area as well.
Three schools and a hospital will be built in the new area with the help of three prestigious schools and a hospital in Beijing, according to one of the agreements.
In April, China announced plans to establish the new economic zone about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, as part of measures to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Covering Hebei's Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin counties, the new area is set to phase out functions from Beijing that are not related to the capital.
The new area is of national significance and is a "major historic and strategic choice" made by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Following the success of the country's economic zones in the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta regions, Xiongan is expected to promote the formation of a world-class city cluster.
