Xi calls for integrated north China development

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for integrated and coordinated development of the region around Beijing.

After making a surprise appearance in an alley in Beijing and visiting some city facilities on Tuesday, Xi held a symposium on Wednesday, listening to work reports delivered by officials from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province.

The two north China municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin form one of China's most economically developed regions along with Hebei Province. Over 100 million people inhabit the region with an area of 216,000 square km.

Xi urged officials to bear in mind coordination and integration when building the economic zone surrounding Beijing, and note the need for balancing development, the environment, population and resources.

Development here can also provide momentum for the development of the area surrounding the Bohai Sea, as well as the whole of north China.

The symposium was held after Xi conducted field research in all three provincial regions. He toured Tianjin in May 2013 and held a meeting in a coastal city in Hebei to study local development issues.

Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and other officials from both central and regional authorities attended the symposium.