China Arab TV:
People from all walks of life are paying close attention to the construction of Xiongan New Area, and the media have also reported many times that Xiongan New Area is about to reach its large-scale construction phase. What will be the biggest change it can show to the world next?
Wang Dongfeng:
Thanks for your question. The establishment of Xiongan New Area is a historic and major strategic choice made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. General Secretary Xi Jinping has made great efforts to plan for it and promote its construction. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the planning and construction of Xiongan New Area have been pushed forward in an orderly and effective way, turning now from top-level design to substantial construction. The progress also embodies the support of the Leading Group for the Coordinated Development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region and its office, as well as ministries and commissions, plus the help of Beijing, Tianjin and other brother areas, as well as the care and help of our media friends. In the process of implementation, what more can the plan show the country and the world, apart from the construction of a new modern city?
First, striving to create a Xiongan quality standard and a national role model of high-quality development. Creating a Xiongan quality standard is a strategic goal put forward by the CPC Central Committee and General Secretary Xi Jinping for Hebei province and Xiongan New Area. In the first place, centering on high-quality development, Xiongan will perform well as a model of high-quality development in the country. From the perspective of a high-quality index system, it will benchmark world-class standards, and carry out quality management throughout its planning and construction. It will uphold high-tech and high-end principles, build quality and model projects, and create a Xiongan quality standard. This is a highlight, and a focus of international and domestic attention.
Second, striving to promote innovative development and build a demonstration area for innovative development that implements the new development concepts. Xiongan will pursue innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development in a comprehensive fashion. It will take in elements of innovation from Beijing and Tianjin, integrate resources and elements from the whole country and around the globe, establish a batch of key national laboratories, and re-innovate upon introduction and absorption, so as to promote the development of high-end and high-tech industry clusters. Such moves will allow a demonstration area featuring the five concepts to take shape and effect in Xiongan, and benefit the general public as the work goes on.
Third, striving to develop a new generation of artificial intelligence and establish itself as a world-leading digital smart city. People around the world are paying attention to the construction of smart cities. Xiongan will make its standard system more systematic, comprehensive and international. Xiongan New Area is now constructing the underground part first, and the aboveground part will follow. It will adopt the use of the Beidou Satellite, remote sensing, infrared rays, terahertz, facial recognition, big data, cloud computing and other technologies, and is using BIM and CIM in the process of construction. Induction facilities, as well as optical fibers and cables, are required to be buried underground, so if not buried now, it will be too late to wait for the completion of construction. In the past, transportation, medical care and urban management of smart cities were considered independent from each other while construction. Different cities have a variety of good methods and experiences, and Hebei has integrated the experiences of smart city planning across the country and the world. The important thing for now is to formulate a good strategic plan, to improve as the work goes on and to eliminate wasteful duplication of efforts.
Fourth, striving to promote reform and opening up and to reach new heights in institutional and mechanism reform. The Xiongan Administrative Committee has jurisdiction over three counties in Baoding city. There is no local Party committee, people's congress, government or Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) committee in Xiongan New Area, which represents a new political, economic and social model featuring a flat structure, coordination and high efficiency. When it comes to public security, environmental protection, court and procuratorate affairs, it is necessary to stress social management and governance in accordance with the law. Therefore, the province has designated offices in Xiongan New Area, and there are local Party committees, people's congresses, governments and CPPCC committees in the three counties, which are administered by the Party Working Committee and the Administrative Committee. No existing mechanism or model can be referred to, which, thus, requires innovation. In accordance with the guidelines and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee, the provincial Party committee and the provincial government have granted Xiongan New Area with the power of economic and social management, and entrusted the three counties to the Party Working Committee and Administrative Committee of Xiongan New Area. The admittance of market players, consultation, acceptance of applications, approval and handling of business and feedback can all be processed online, regardless of whether the applicants are at home or at work.
In addition to the abovementioned four aspects, Xiongan New Area will next focus on the comprehensive governance and protection of Baiyangdian Lake, major construction projects like infrastructure, support facilities and peripheral transportation, livelihood, land acquisition and demolition. Currently, the Beijing-Xiongan High-Speed Railway is under construction and will begin operation next year. We are also planning to connect to Beijing's subway system and the airport express to and from Beijing Daxing International Airport. If these are all connected, you could take the subway from downtown Beijing to Beijing Daxing International Airport, then transfer to the airport express to reach Xiongan. People from Xiongan New Area could check their luggage in Xiongan, go directly to Daxing International Airport for boarding with their boarding passes, and reach downtown Beijing conveniently. You can live in Xiongan and work in Beijing, or live in Beijing and work in Xiongan, both of which are very convenient. Xiongan New Area is a major plan for the millennium and a major event for the country. Both domestic and foreign media pay close attention to it, and have effectively helped to popularize it with positive coverage. We need your continued help. That is all.
