Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Turning into a Mega Economic Region

A photo taken by a drone on Jan 18, 2024 shows the excavation of the high-speed shield tunnel with the largest diameter and longest driving distance in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region officially starting. [Photo/Xinhua]

A grand plan for the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province was unveiled in February 2014, giving birth to a major national strategy. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regional coordinated development plan is aimed at achieving better integration and more balanced regional development, by addressing regional income disparities and reducing pollution levels while promoting innovation-driven economic growth.

In the 10 years since the unveiling of coordinated development plan, the economic prowess of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster has greatly increased. The total economic output of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster in 2023 exceeded 10.4 trillion yuan ($1.44 trillion), 1.9 times as large as 2013, indicating the coordinated development and integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei are bearing fruit.

In the past 10 years, more than 3,000 manufacturing enterprises have been relocated from Beijing to Hebei and Tianjin, about 1,000 markets and logistics centers have been shifted from the capital or upgraded, and over 9,200 hectares of land freed up and “afforested” after the demolition of illegal buildings in Beijing, according to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei joint work office. These developments have directly or indirectly impacted the lives of more than 100 million people.

The impressive growth of China’s megacities has long been a driver of overall economic growth. Now, the country has embarked on an ambitious new endeavor — integrated development of urban clusters including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster — to achieve balanced regional development nationwide.

Besides, coordinated development has significantly enhanced the global competitiveness of the region and made it an increasingly attractive destination for multinational corporations and foreign investors.

The integration of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei will yield benefits to not only the Chinese people and domestic enterprises. China’s northern heartland is being positioned as a formidable global economic powerhouse, capable of complementing, more than competing with, the influential Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Delta Region.