President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed his commitment to creating a dazzling high-tech hub neighbouring Beijing, calling on state-owned enterprises and financial institutions to relocate to the flagship city.
The Chinese leader on Wednesday visited the sprawling Xiong’an New Area, located in Hebei province about 100 kilometres (62 miles) southwest of the capital, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. He arrived at the Xiong’an Railway Station by high-speed rail from Beijing, a journey that takes about 30 minutes.
Xi was accompanied by three members of the supreme Politburo Standing Committee — Premier Li Qiang, his chief of staff Cai Qi, and Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, according to the report.
“The development of the Xiong’an New Area is a national project of millennial significance and should be pushed forward with concrete actions and sustained efforts,” Xi said, according to state media.
The Chinese leader said planning for the transfer of financial institutions, research institutes and public institutions should begin immediately. He also urged for state-owned enterprises directly under the central government in Beijing to move their headquarters to the city.
When the blueprint for Xiong’an was revealed in 2017, it was billed as a high-tech city teeming with leading-edge companies, research institutes and world-class transportation that could rival Shenzhen and Shanghai. It would also provide an alternative development model to the congested streets, air pollution and urban sprawl of many China metropolises.
See also: Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing watching for China boycott after Xinjiang remarks
Nearly six years later, it’s still under construction. During his third trip to the city on Wednesday — and his first since 2019 — Xi moved to dispel any doubts that the project he’s tied his reputation to would falter, calling the city’s mission “entirely correct,” according to Xinhua.
