Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration essential: Xi   

习近平：确保中央重大经济决策落地见效

习近平指出，疏解北京非首都功能、推进京津冀协同发展，是一个巨大的系统工程。目标要明确，通过疏解北京非首都功能，调整经济结构和空间结构，走出一条内涵集约发展的新路子，探索出一种人口经济密集地区优化开发的模式，促进区域协调发展，形成新增长极。[查看全文]

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday reiterated his view that it is essential to step up the integration of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to devolve some of the capital's functions to the other regions and to further develop the heavily-populated region.

It will take a massive effort to promote the development of the region as a united bloc and to create new engines of economic growth, Xi said at the ninth meeting of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs.

Often besieged by smog and suffering from a shortage of resources, a coordinated development plan for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei bloc has been carried out in the past year, aiming to relieve pressure on the capital and to boost development in its surrounding regions.

While on an inspection tour of Beijing in February last year, Xi said that Beijing's core functions include being the center of the nation's politics, culture, international communications and technological innovation.

A series of regional cooperation projects have been initiated. As infrastructure links between Beijing and its surrounding cities improve through the construction of high-speed rail links and highways, it is planned that some of the capital's research, educational and medical functions will be moved to Hebei Province, as well as hundreds of businesses.

As Beijing needs such transfers to ease environmental pressure and to control its population, experts have argued that the bloc's integration will be effective only when possible conflicts of interests are well balanced as what Beijing needs to move out may not be what the surrounding cities want to take in. The devolved functions should fit in with Beijing's neighboring cities' urban plans, city demands and management abilities, said Zhang Gui, a professor of regional development at the Hebei University of Technology, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Zhang added that cities near Beijing should work hard to narrow their gaps in infrastructure and resources with Beijing to attract and accommodate the incoming facilities.