Baoding plans to be center of urban hub

Baoding has drawn up a blueprint for transforming itself into a central city in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Deputy Mayor Yan Liying made the remarks on Sunday during a city-development forum at Peking University.

"We are making efforts to make Baoding a central city during the integrated development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei," she said. Baoding is in Hebei province.

Earlier this month, Baoding's urban-district area was expanded to 2,531 square kilometers from 312 square km. The move also increased the urban area's population to 2.8 million from 1.2 million.

"Baoding has the basic framework to nurture a regional central city," Yan said.

Compared with other cities near the capital, Baoding has some advantages in its quest to become a central city.

"Developing Baoding into a regional central city is feasible because the city is endowed with advantages in history, geography and industrial basis," she said.

Baoding, regarded as the southern gateway to the capital, was an important hub city in the past.

The city is at the center of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, about 130 km from Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei's capital city of Shijiazhuang.

Baoding residents can get to Beijing in 50 minutes by express train.

The modern industries of automobiles, new energy, textiles, green food, new construction materials and tourism are mature in Baoding, which includes leading, world-known enterprises such as Great Wall Motor Co and Yingli Solar, one of the world's largest solar panel manufacturers.

Yan said Baoding will map out special areas to facilitate the transferring of industries from Beijing and Tianjin, and will focus on developing newly emerging industries.

Contact the writers at zhangyu1@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/27/2015 page4)