Smart planning key to Xiongan's success

Xiongan New Area, a grandiose vision announced in April, is a typical example of how to promote regional integration, as General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on Wednesday.

"We will relieve Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the capital and use this effort to drive the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region; we will develop forward-looking plans and adopt high standards for building Xiongan New Area," Xi said.

The potential of Xiongan has prompted 48 enterprises, including top technology companies such as Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings, to set up branches in the new area which is about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing and covers the counties of Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin in North China's Hebei province.