Sharing the load

The growth of both Xiong'an and Tongzhou has helped in shifting many of the old industries and administrative functions away from Beijing.

As of January, centrally administered State-owned enterprises had moved more than 140 subsidiaries and branches to Xiong'an, with more enterprises expected to be relocated, according to the Hebei provincial government.

Relocation of more of Beijing's administrative institutions and enterprises to Tongzhou is also due to be accelerated.

Beijing has always supported the construction of Xiong'an New Area and has provided resources to build schools and hospitals.

Three school projects supported by Beijing have been completed and are due to open in September. A hospital project is due to be finished the same month.

Yu Pengbin, secretary of the party committee of Xiong'an Campus of Beijing No.4 Middle School, said the school adheres to the teaching philosophy of its namesake in Beijing, and it will provide advanced education for local students.

The high-quality construction of Beijing's sub center in Tongzhou is also advancing well with 100 billion yuan in annual investment over the past three years, said Hu Jiulong, deputy director of the city's sub center management committee.

Government data shows that the combined GDP of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei surpassed 10 trillion yuan in 2022, which is 1.8 times the amount in 2013.

Meanwhile, businesses and research efforts in the science and technology innovation sector have also been steadily moved from Beijing to the two other areas.

The number of technology contracts exported from Beijing to Tianjin and Hebei increased from 3,176 in 2013 to 5,881 in 2022, with an average annual growth rate of 7.1 percent, said Zhou Jingwei, an official from the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission.

The next step in collaboration on innovation will focus on improving the efficiency of scientific and technological achievements in the region, Zhou said.

New ways to collaborate on innovation between industries and academic institutions will also be looked at to promote research cooperation in the regional hub, he added.