Beijing relocations add impetus for growth

The major role of Xiongan New Area in Hebei, established in 2017, is to receive and develop Beijing's non-capital functions, as a way to adjust the region's economic structure and provide balanced, coordinated development.

In addition to the industrial and retail transfers, integrated development in the key fields of transportation and environmental protection has also achieved positive results.

For example, a high-speed railway linking Beijing and Hebei's Zhangjiakou opened at the end of last year, cutting the journey time from more than three hours to about 50 minutes, according to 12306, the national online rail ticket platform.

Xinhua noted that environmental programs resulted in the average concentration of PM2.5－harmful particulate matter that can enter the bloodstream via the lungs－in 13 major cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region at 57 micrograms per cubic meter in the first half of last year; a major improvement compared with previous years.