The commercial departments of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei all signed an agreement on Friday that will cover 26 projects this year in logistics, transport, finance and consumption products.

Yan Ligang, director of the Beijing department of commerce, said,"The joint development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei is key to alleviating the pressure brought by tight traffic and large population in the capital city".

"The collaborative development will optimize the resource allocation once the three regions develop as an organic entity."

Li Shi, director of the department of commerce of Hebei said the region is working on building a national modern logistics hub to ease the transport pressure in Beijing.

"We want to ensure agricultural produce gets delivered within one hour from Hebei to Beijing and Tianjin," said Li.

"Moreover, the senior citizens industry is also picking up speed in our province. Hebei has become the first choice for senior citizens in the region to live during their retirement."

Zhang Aiguo, director of the department of commerce in Tianjin, suggested longer transit visas in the region for overseas tourists.

"The current transit visa is 72 hours. If it can be extended to 144 hours, tourists on the cruiser that stop over at Tianjin port might consider traveling in Beijing and Hebei, therefore boosting the tourism industry in the region."