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Legislators in both Beijing and Tianjin have called upon governments to transfer some industries from the overloaded capital to the nearby port city.
Zhang Jiaxing, a senior lawmaker in Tianjin, suggested at the ongoing meeting of the Tianjin People's Congress on Saturday that Tianjin should better promote its proximity to Beijing to attract more companies and talent to move to Tianjin by offering favorable terms.
"Such industrial transfers can ease the traffic jams and air pollution in Beijing while boosting our economy," he said.
Zhang said Tianjin's advantages include land price, labor cost and logistical convenience as a port city. Preferential relocation benefits for talented workers and their families are also attractive.
For instance, he said, it is easier to qualify for a local hukou (household registration) in Tianjin than in the capital.
"Their kids can take the local college entrance exam in our city, and they can receive better medical care and social welfare. All this helps them integrate into local communities, instead of being outsiders," he said.
Currently, high school students in major cities without a local hukou have to go back to their hometowns to take the college entrance exam.
Zhu Liang, a petroleum engineer and political adviser to Beijing, made a similar suggestion at a meeting this week.
Zhu urged the Beijing government to promote economic cooperation with Tianjin, since the capital's population has already exceeded its regional resources and capacity.
The number of permanent residents has topped 20 million in Beijing, in an area about half the size of Belgium.
Tianjin, located southeast of Beijing, has Wuqing district and Jixian county in the north, bordering the capital. The two cities are also connected with two highways - and high-speed rail that cuts travel time to 30 minutes.
Wang Yuke and Yang Xiaofan contributed to this story.
