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Speakers:

Mr. Yin Yong, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Beijing Municipal Committee and mayor of Beijing

Mr. Xia Linmao, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and executive vice mayor of Beijing

Mr. Jin Wei, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and vice mayor of Beijing

Mr. Yu Yingjie, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, secretary of the Education Work Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, and a member of the Leading Party Members Group of the Beijing Municipal People's Government

Chairperson:

Mr. Chen Wenjun, director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date:

March 19, 2024

Chen Wenjun:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and is also a crucial year for achieving the objectives and tasks laid out in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). We will hold a series of press conferences themed "Promoting High-Quality Development," inviting relevant departments from the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities as well as from the central government. They will introduce measures and achievements in implementing the decisions and arrangements made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. Today, we are holding the first press conference in the series. We have invited Mr. Yin Yong, deputy secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and mayor of Beijing, to brief you on leveraging Beijing's strategic role as the national capital and initiating a new chapter in high-quality development, and to take your questions. Also present today are Mr. Xia Linmao, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and executive vice mayor of Beijing; Mr. Jin Wei, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and vice mayor of Beijing; and Mr. Yu Yingjie, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, secretary of the Education Work Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, and a member of the Leading Party Members Group of the Beijing Municipal People's Government.

Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Yin for his introduction.

Yin Yong:

Friends from the media, good morning. It gives me great pleasure to meet you here and brief you on leveraging Beijing's strategic role as the national capital and initiating a new chapter in high-quality development. I would like to begin by extending, on behalf of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and the Beijing Municipal People's Government, our heartfelt appreciation for your long-standing support for Beijing-related work.

The CPC Central Committee attaches great importance to Beijing's high-quality development. General Secretary Xi Jinping has conducted several inspection tours of Beijing and provided personal guidance on key issues, critical plans and priorities related to the capital's long-term development. In line with the grand blueprint for the capital's development, we have outlined specific tasks and worked hard to bring the overall vision to reality. Last year, Beijing's gross regional product (GRP) grew by 5.2% from the previous year to 4.4 trillion yuan ($611.23 billion). General public budget revenue increased by 8.2%, exceeding 600 billion yuan. Per capita GRP remained the highest among provincial-level regions in China, while energy and water consumption per 10,000 yuan of GRP were the lowest. All in all, solid progress has been made in the capital's high-quality development.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of founding of the PRC, and is a crucial year for achieving the objectives and tasks laid out in the 14th Five-Year Plan. Beijing will fully act on the guiding principles of the Central Economic Work Conference and implement the plans made at the annual "two sessions." With high-quality development as our top priority in the new era and Chinese modernization as our principal political objective, we will adhere to the general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, promoting stability through progress, and establishing the new before abolishing the old. We will further incorporate the Five Key Initiatives [namely, building Beijing into an international center for innovation; making progress in building the "two zones" — the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening up the Services Sector and the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone; developing the digital economy; stimulating and creating new demand through supply-side structural reform; and making greater headway with Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development through relocation of functions non-essential to the role of the capital] into the new development dynamic and redouble efforts to promote the capital's development in the new era.

First, we will reinforce Beijing's role as the national capital and actively fulfill our responsibilities in promoting the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province. This year marks the 10th anniversary of advancing Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development. With further implementation of the Master Plan of Development for Beijing (2016-2035), we will improve the incentives and set mandatory targets to relieve Beijing of its non-capital functions in a steadfast and orderly way, improve the city's services for the central Party and government bodies, and enhance the city's overall living environment. We will continue to support Xiong'an New Area, with its development as part of our own duties, and set well-conceived annual targets to drive the high-quality development of the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center. In collaboration with Tianjin and Hebei, we will develop a metropolitan area around the capital featuring integrated transport networks, joint eco-conservation actions, seamless sharing of public services, and coordinated functions. Our goal is to turn the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region into a pilot and demonstration zone for Chinese modernization.

Second, we will enhance the development of Beijing as an international center for scientific and technological innovation to fully unleash the city's strengths in nurturing new quality productive forces. We will coordinate education, technology and talent resources of Beijing to bolster our scientific and technological capabilities. We will continue to implement action plans to secure the city's leading position in basic research and achieve breakthroughs in core technologies within key fields. Forward-looking plans will be adopted to open up new grounds in future-oriented industries. We will build a modernized innovation-led industrial system and accelerate a number of landmark projects in such sectors as integrated circuits, new energy vehicles and biomanufacturing. To establish Beijing as a global pacesetter in the digital economy, we will strengthen and expand our lead in artificial intelligence, high-level autonomous driving and among other domains. We will work quickly to foster an innovation ecosystem. Pilot reform measures for the Zhongguancun Science Park will be implemented on a rolling basis to elevate it into a world-class science park that better empowers the capital's high-quality development.

Third, we will strive to become a pilot zone for the Beautiful China Initiative, demonstrating Beijing's resolve in fighting against pollution. We will cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, expand green development and pursue economic growth in a coordinated way. We will step up efforts to keep the skies blue. We will consolidate our gains in air quality improvement. We will work actively and prudently toward peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. To further improve the energy mix, we will scale up green electricity transmissions to our city and work to raise the share of renewable power to 25%. We will continue to turn Beijing into a national forest city, implant vitality into urban park spaces and design a picturesque garden city, enabling citizens to fully enjoy the pleasures of park visits and allowing the city to flourish with natural beauty.

Fourth, we will advance the "two zones" development to further explore Beijing's path toward more in-depth reform and wider opening-up. We will expedite the implementation of the latest work plan to accelerate the development of the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening up the Services Sector and further develop the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone in order to cultivate more experiences that can be replicated in other parts of China. We will make "Beijing services" a recognizable brand representing excellent governmental support for business operation by introducing more favorable policies that are readily and swiftly accessible with no requirement for enterprises to complete applications. In doing so, we aim to create a top-class business environment characterized by stability, fairness, transparency and predictability.

Fifth, we will ensure and improve people's well-being to establish Beijing as a model for precision urban governance. By focusing on improving people's well-being in seven aspects and meeting their expectations for a better life in five areas, we will enhance our reform in delivering swift responses to public complaints, effectively addressing issues that our people are most concerned about. We will ensure comprehensive management of the city's transportation system with the goal of raising the rate of green commuting to 75% in the downtown districts. More will be done to support dependent elders and toddlers, including expanding care services for elderly individuals with physical and mental challenges and adding 10,000 public-interest nursery slots for children under the age of three. We will continue to deepen the integrated reform of medical treatment, medical insurance and medicine supplies to better meet the healthcare needs of our citizens. A total of 70,000 units of rental housing for low-income groups will be made available and 80,000 units of government-subsidized housing will be established. To ensure both development and security, we will make our city more resilient, intelligent and livable while stepping up post-disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts. Our goal is to ensure that our people experience a growing sense of fulfillment, happiness and security through solid improvements in our work.

That's all from me for now. Thank you all!

Chen Wenjun:

Thank you, Mr. Yin. Now, the floor is open for questions. Please identify the news agency you represent before asking questions.

CCTV:

We all know that the international center for innovation is one of the strategic stances in the "four centers" urban strategy plan that is designated for Beijing by the central government. Mr. Yin, how does Beijing plan to establish itself as the international center for innovation and a hub for high-caliber personnel?

Yin Yong:

Alright, I'll answer your question. Building Beijing into an international sci-tech innovation center is the mission entrusted to the city by the CPC Central Committee. Beijing has a prominent advantage in educational and technological talent and has the foundation and conditions to contribute to the country's self-reliance and strength in science and technology. From a hardware perspective, Beijing is home to 92 universities and more than 1,000 research institutes. It leads the nation in the number of national laboratories and major scientific facilities. Additionally, our R&D intensity has remained at around 6% for many years, ranking at the forefront both nationally and globally. From a software perspective, we have introduced a series of regulations, including those on commercializing scientific and technological achievements and protecting intellectual property rights. We have implemented 24 pilot reform measures in Zhongguancun, continuously solidifying the institutional environment that supports comprehensive innovation. From a talent perspective, Beijing is home to over 550,000 scientific researchers, nearly half of the academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and more than a quarter of the experts from the "Ten Thousand Talents Program." We have achieved 411 selections to the global "Highly Cited Researchers" list, ranking first among cities worldwide. Our talent advantage is also prominent in cutting-edge scientific and technological fields. For example, in the highly regarded field of artificial intelligence, Beijing's top AI talents account for about 43% of the national total.

In recent years, Beijing's efforts in building itself into an international sci-tech innovation center has yielded significant results. From the perspective of scientific research outcomes, we have surpassed 262 patent ownerships per 10,000 people and published 1,292 highly cited papers, both of which rank first in the nation. We have also seen the emergence of major innovative achievements such as the new generation quantum computing cloud platform, Quafu, and the ultra-large-scale intelligent model, Wudao 3.0. From the perspective of industrial commercialization, in 2023, the transaction volume of technology contracts in Beijing exceeded 850 billion yuan, with an average of 337 technology-based enterprises being established daily. The numbers of national high-tech enterprises, "little giant" enterprises that utilize special and sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products, and unicorn companies all rank first among cities nationwide. From a comprehensive evaluation, Beijing has been ranked first in the Nature Index Science Cities globally for eight consecutive years, entering the forefront of global innovative cities.

Facing a new round of global technological and industrial changes, we will continue swiftly seizing opportunities and maintaining momentum in the following areas.

First, in terms of enhancing our capacity for scientific and technological breakthroughs, we must concentrate firmly on three aspects. First, focus on "breakthroughs" by thoroughly implementing action plans for key and core technologies, striving to overcome technical "bottlenecks" in various fields. Second, focus on "taking the lead" by targeting over 20 areas, such as future information, health, manufacturing, energy, materials, and space, actively seizing the upper hand in future industrial development. Lastly, focus on "upgrading," which involves concentrating on more than 30 sub-fields in sectors of high-end, sophisticated and cutting-edge technologies, bolstering scientific and technological innovation, and continuously enhancing the core competitiveness of our key industries.

Second, we must deepen the reform of the scientific and technological system, focusing on solving four types of problems. To address the disconnection between industry, universities, and research institutes, we emphasize establishing enterprise-led innovation consortia, making effective use of the open competition mechanism for selecting the best candidates to lead research projects, and promoting better coordination between industry, universities, and research institutes. To tackle the difficulties in commercializing scientific and technological achievements, we need to effectively implement the regulations on achievement commercialization, genuinely protect the rights and interests of R&D personnel, and allow them to fully enjoy the benefits of commercialization. Regarding the issue of science and technology parks being "small, scattered, and weak," we adopt a "one park, one plan" strategy to optimize and enhance the development quality of each park. We employ a bottom-out mechanism to compel all parks to improve their operational and management capabilities. To address the lack of vitality among scientific research entities, we grant greater autonomy to new-type R&D institutions. While the government does not interfere with daily activities, we will strengthen third-party assessments and evaluations. For those with poor evaluation results, we will gradually "phase out" support in terms of funding, aiming to bolster the excellent and eliminate the weak.

Third, we will strengthen the training and introduction of talents, and coordinate four types of talents in a systematic way. For leading scientists, we will establish a mechanism for their rapid discovery, introduction and arrangement, and provide special support and guarantee policies for innovative teams. For young scientists, we must make good use of and launch more support programs such as the “Beijing Young Scholars” and “New Scientific and Technological Stars”, provide more long-term and stable scientific research funding, and encourage young talents to take the lead. For outstanding engineers, we will deepen the pilot reform of engineering master and doctor training that integrates industry and education, and cultivate talents that are urgently needed in the industry. For master craftsmen and highly skilled workers, we will strengthen the construction of studios for them and cultivate high-quality industry talents.

Talents are the future and source of vitality in a city. We will make more meticulous efforts in talent-related work, and widen the door for talent recruitment, so that all kinds of talents can find a place in Beijing and give full play to their abilities. Thank you.

Reuters:

Beijing has several high-tech projects in the pipeline, including the expansion of autonomous driving projects by Baidu and Pony.ai and new factories for CATL’s batteries and Xiaomi’s EV production. What more can we expect this year in terms of regulatory efforts to attract more investment in these areas? And what aspirations does Beijing have for its role in EV and AV development?

Yin Yong:

Thank you for your questions. You have noted the layout and development of companies such as Baidu, Pony.ai, Xiaomi and CATL in Beijing. These are closely related to Beijing's high-level autonomous driving projects.

New energy vehicles (NEVs) and autonomous driving (AD) are important forces behind smart transport and may profoundly change the way people travel and urban governance. From the perspective of urban management, we are paying particular attention to the changes that AD may bring. In the past few years, Beijing has conducted in-depth research on the development of AD technology. Through comparative analysis, we found that although the current AD technology is developing rapidly, the cost is still relatively high, and there is still a long way to go to achieve safe and reliable commercial applications. At the same time, it seems that there is no connection between smart AD and the smart development of Beijing. Therefore, Beijing took the lead in adopting vehicle-infrastructure cooperated autonomous driving (VICAD) technology three years ago to promote the development of AD technology. We started in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (located in Yizhuang, southeast Beijing), designating an area of 60 square kilometers for the pilot, which we gradually expanded to 600 square kilometers. The pilot has now entered its third stage. We have created a VICAD system that feeds various data back to self-driving vehicles through intelligent sensing devices on the roadside and the cloud dispatching system. This significantly improves the safety of AD vehicles and reduces the costs and dependence for AD capabilities. We have opened AD vehicle application scenarios from Beijing Daxing International Airport to Yizhuang, and from the three cultural landmarks in Beijing’s sub-center to the subway station, launched an AD freight transport pilot from Beijing to Tianjin Port, and implemented unmanned sanitation vehicles for road cleaning at night. Driverless taxis have also been put into commercial operation. We have achieved exciting results. We are planning a larger-scale construction to connect some of Beijing’s suburban areas. These promotions and applications have brought unexpected results. For example, the AD vehicle service launched by Beijing Daxing International Airport provides passengers arriving at night with more choices; unmanned sanitation vehicles can clean at night no matter the weather conditions, and without getting tired or falling asleep; and driverless taxis provide passengers with greater privacy — with some passengers arranging meetings during their rides. Through the construction of a roadside sensing system, there is improved perception of traffic flow at intersections. Formerly, the signal light timing method at these intersections was relatively fixed, that is, the intervals between light changes were fixed. Now in the pilot area, the daily setting of traffic light intervals at each intersection will be dynamically adjusted 110 times on average per day based on the actual traffic flow on the roads. Take the 160 square kilometers in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area as an example. Last year, despite a 20% increase in traffic volume, vehicle speed in the area increased by more than 15%, which contributed toward solving the problem of urban traffic congestion through the optimization of traffic light interval scheduling. 

These exciting practical results inspire us to further deepen the interplay between autonomous driving and smart city construction. We will continue to attract more leading enterprises and research institutions in this field, improve upstream and downstream support for the industrial chain, and welcome various types of capital, especially long-term capital, to increase investment in this area. Our explorations have also attracted significant attention from domestic and international counterparts. Institutions and companies from countries such as the United States, France, Japan and Singapore have come to exchange and discuss ideas. We are willing to share the explorations and practices carried out in Beijing to collectively address the common challenges we face in urban management and social development.

Thank you.

China News Service:

As an international metropolis, how does Beijing continue to enhance its functions as a center for international exchange in the new era? How can it further provide more friendly and convenient government services for foreign-invested enterprises and foreign nationals? Also, we are aware that Beijing has proposed the development of a new pattern for a center for international exchange, known as "one core, two axes and multiple zones." What significant progress has been made so far in this regard, and what are the key priorities for future work?

Yin Yong:

Thank you for your questions. I would like to invite Mr. Xia to answer.

Xia Linmao:

Thank you for your questions. Beijing has always paid a lot of attention to the needs of foreign-invested enterprises and foreign nationals, striving to work on details to make foreign nationals’ work, study, life and travel in the city more convenient. We have created an international version of official portal website in nine languages, including English, French and Russian. Additionally, information services can be obtained by following the English-language "Beijing Service" official account on WeChat. Furthermore, we have built a foreign-related service system covering the entire city, consisting of 416 government service centers at the municipal, district and subdistrict (township) levels. We have 338 service windows dedicated to foreign languages, ensuring multi-linguistic support for various services. The 12345 government service center you are all aware of responses to public needs promptly and is able to handle calls in eight languages; foreign nationals in Beijing can receive many services with their passports; and many services can be provided online, such as hospital appointments, booking tickets for scenic spots and setting up businesses, all from the convenience of their own homes, saving time, effort and money.

Next, we will make greater efforts to address issues that foreign nationals are concerned about. For example, in terms of payment methods, we are focusing on making payments by cash, foreign bank cards and electronics means more convenient. In terms of transportation, we are also in the process of developing an English map of Beijing city, and are collaborating with railways, subways, buses and car rental services to provide better services.

In terms of education and healthcare, in places where significant numbers of foreign professionals live and work, such as the "three cities and one area,” namely, Zhongguancun Science City, the Huairou Science City, the Beijing Future Science City, and the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area, as well as the Chaoyang district and the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center, we are focusing on strengthening the development of international schools and international hospitals and are optimizing the service experience for foreign nationals, including improving services related to medical insurance settlements and commercial insurance.

In terms of communication, we are further improving the process for both online and in-person registration of phone cards. Regarding airport services, we have established overseas guest payment service centers at both Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport. Additionally, we are expanding the construction of airport integrated service centers to provide services in areas such as consultations, payments, tourism, transportation and telecommunications, so that everyone arriving in Beijing can enjoy a comprehensive range of services.

Regarding the spatial pattern of "one core, two axes and multiple sections" for international exchanges, specifically: "One core" refers to the core functional area; "two axes" refers to the Central Axis and Chang'an Avenue and its extensions; and "multiple sections" include various areas such as the embassy districts and the two international airports, which provide robust support for state diplomacy affairs and people-to-people exchange activities within the city. The quality of traditional areas for hosting national events, such as Tiananmen Square and the surroundings along Chang'an Avenue, has been continuously enhanced in recent years. The international communication function along the Central Axis and its extensions continues to improve. The capacity of the venues around Yanqi Lake to host international conventions has been expanded and upgraded, with both the Yanbai Villa and the Qihu Hotel now operational. Next, we will focus on exploring the potential of historical buildings, themed museums, and characteristic hutongs in the core area, aiming to establish a batch of "national reception halls." We will coordinate efforts to improve the infrastructure construction of the Fourth Embassy District. Progress will steadily continue in upgrading the supporting facilities around Yanqi Lake and the major project of the Beijing base of the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda. Simultaneously, we will focus on improving the service capabilities of the Beijing Olympic Park. By the end of this year, the main construction of the second phase of the National Convention Center will be completed, and the second phase of the New China International Exhibition Center will also finish construction. The ongoing optimization of the hardware and software environment that is internationalized will further burnish Beijing's global image as a historical and cultural hub.

Science and Technology Daily:

It is well known that the annual Zhongguancun Forum is an important platform for China's global cooperation and exchange in science and technology innovation. Could you please provide an update on the preparations for this year's forum? What are the new highlights compared to previous years? Thank you.

Yin Yong:

Thank you for your questions. Mr. Yu will answer them.

Yu Yingjie:

Thank you for your interest in the Zhongguancun Forum. As you mentioned, it is a state-level platform for global sci-tech innovation exchanges and cooperation, consistently emphasizing innovation and development as its core themes. Since 2007, we have successfully convened this event 14 times. Last year's forum was successfully conducted under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, with the participation of all parties involved. Over 5,000 guests from 86 countries and regions attended the event, with more than 1,160 domestic and foreign participants delivering speeches. During the main session of the forum, 129 projects were signed with a total value exceeding 81 billion yuan. Additionally, over 1,400 journalists from nearly 200 domestic and foreign media outlets provided comprehensive and in-depth coverage of the 2023 Zhongguancun Forum. We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our media friends for their long-term attention and support for this event.

Approved by the State Council, the 2024 Zhongguancun Forum will be held for the first time at the newly finished permanent venue from April 25-29. This year's theme is "Innovating for a Better World." We will continue to uphold a high-end profile, with a heightened focus on its state-level and internationalized features. The forum continues to be jointly organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the China Association for Science and Technology, and the Beijing Municipal Government. Nearly 10 ministries and organizations support the event, including UNESCO, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation, and the Ministry of Education. Notably, UNESCO will participate as a supporting organization for the first time. We will adhere to a goal-oriented approach, placing greater emphasis on effectiveness and leadership, closely following international trends in science and technology development. We have planned five main sections, including the opening ceremony and plenary session, nearly 60 parallel forums, the Zhongguancun International Technology Trade Fair, and the Zhongguancun International Cutting-edge Technology Competition, among other key events. Furthermore, the forum will unveil a series of groundbreaking scientific and technological innovations to the rest of the world, effectively showcasing Beijing's achievements in pursuing sci-tech innovation. In addition to the main sessions, we will also host a series of activities throughout the year. Since the beginning of this year, we have organized 28 events focusing on cutting-edge topics such as large-scale model applications, cellular and genetic therapies, and quantum computing. Overall, preparations for the 2024 Zhongguancun Forum are progressing smoothly, and we are committed to ensuring that it becomes a vibrant and effective global platform for sci-tech innovation exchanges and cooperation.

We would like to extend a cordial invitation here to scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, business starters and media from home and abroad to attend the 2024 Zhongguancun Forum to discuss cutting-edge technologies, industrial development trends, innovation rules, and scientific and technological governance, and to share innovative ideas and development concepts, making innovative contributions to the construction of a better world.

Thank you.

Bloomberg:

I had a question about real estate. For Beijing this year, in terms of stabilizing the real estate market, in terms of building more affordable social housing, in terms of redeveloping more parts of the city, are there any plans for 2024 that you can share with us? And in terms of restrictions on home purchases, is there more room to loosen those restrictions either in more districts of Beijing or at a greater degree across the city? Thank you.

Xia Linmao:

Thank you for your questions. Following the decisions and requirements of the Party Central Committee and the central government, the Beijing Municipal Government will scale up "three major projects" — the building of government-subsidized housing, the construction of dual-use public infrastructure that can accommodate emergency needs, and the redevelopment of urban villages — to accelerate the formation of a new real estate model. Just now, Mr. Yin explained that we will raise funds to build 70,000 government-subsidized rental housing units and complete 80,000 affordable housing units this year. We will increase the supply of "one bed" and "one room" products, focusing on resolving the housing problems of new urban residents, young people and migrant workers. In terms of choosing where to locate this housing, we will prioritize areas around subway stations and industrial zones where people work and live, and areas with good support infrastructure. 

At present, some villages located in the city's urban-rural fringe area, where is covered mostly by barriers for afforestation, urgently need improving and upgrading. We call these "urban villages," which have common problems, such as high public health risks, housing with significant fire hazards, underdeveloped support facilities, dirty environment, and challenging social governance. Citizens living in these areas are eagerly awaiting improvements. We will adopt three models in accordance with the functional orientations and development situations of different regions. The first model is demolishing and rebuilding, the second is upgrading and improving, and the third is a combination of the first and second. We will carry out critical tasks and focus on key parts in inner city areas and key ecological nodes. This year, we plan to redevelop 20 urban villages, eliminate potential safety hazards, improve people's quality of life and living environment, and upgrade the quality of urban development. We also hope that some demonstration projects will emerge during the process of redeveloping the urban villages.  

You also asked about real estate policy. We remain committed to the principle that housing is for living in and not for speculation, and are fully implementing Beijing's overall plan. We continue to adopt district-specific policies and targeted measures, and adhere to the principles of encouraging both housing rentals and purchases, integrating urban areas and industries, balancing job opportunities and housing provisions, and fostering an environment conducive to living and working in. We have been improving policies on real estate regulation to meet people’s demand for buying their first home or improving their housing situation, better meeting the multilevel and diverse needs of homebuyers, and promoting the healthy development of the real estate market in Beijing. Thank you.

China Daily:

It is widely accepted that fostering a world-class business environment is an important measure to offset downward risks to the economy and bolster confidence of market entities. We understand that the Meeting of International Business Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Beijing will kick off soon and leading multinational companies will be invited to attend. My question is, how will Beijing further improve its business environment to boost the economic driving forces? Thank you.

Yin Yong:

Thank you for your question. I will answer this one. Fostering a good business environment provides a strong support for enterprises. We have continued to carry out various measures, and listened to enterprises' opinions and advice on Beijing's business environment, such as by visiting enterprises. Last weekend, we visited companies in Beijing such as PwC, Meituan and Alibaba. In a few days, we will hold the Meeting of International Business Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Beijing, which you just mentioned. We will communicate in person with the heads of a dozen leading multinational companies and listen to their insights on Beijing's business environment.

We are keenly aware that there is always room for further improvement in the business environment. Over the years, we have facilitated its development and made leapfrog progress annually. To date, we have introduced more than 1,200 reform measures in this regard, leading to a reduction of over 60% in approval items, a 71% decrease in processing time, a 74% cut in mandatory materials, and the elimination of more than 320 previously-required permits. We have also rolled out the "one integrated license" policy across more than 40 sectors and introduced 62 one-stop government services. In addition, an integrated and comprehensive supervision system has been applied in 50 scenarios in a bid to streamline oversight efforts and prevent disruptions to business activities caused by redundant supervision procedures. Over 90% of business oversight is conducted through the random selection of both inspectors and inspection targets. Looking forward, we will adhere to a problem-oriented approach, improve businesses' sense of gain, and take it as our ultimate goal to enhance the city's strength in business-related services.

We need to make additional efforts in the following aspects:

First, we need to emphasize both top-level design and the experience of businesses. We must adopt both top-down and bottom-up approaches. Regarding top-down measures, we need to study advanced practices from various countries and cities and draw on their useful experience, including the World Bank's business environment evaluation framework. We should take a systemic approach and roll out reform measures across all aspects and links of the business environment, in a bid to comprehensively improve our service capacity and administrative efficiency. As for bottom-up measures, we need to heed the needs of businesses and base our policymaking efforts on their requirements. By addressing specific issues, we need to summarize our experience, develop a sound mechanism in this regard, and continue to tackle the most pressing difficulties and concerns of businesses. Take, for example, the hosting of economic and technological exhibitions involving foreign enterprises. Previously, obtaining approval for such events required 34 working days, 26 pieces of documentation, and nine procedures. However, after streamlining administrative procedures, we now only need six working days and 16 pieces of documentation. Building on this progress, we have extended our efforts to introduce more one-stop government services for approving large-scale commercial performances and sporting events.

Second, we need to provide businesses with both inclusive and tailored services. Inclusive services refer to measures that improve the overall business environment and benefit all enterprises with our reform measures. For instance, when encountering difficulties, many businesses opt to reach out to the service hotline 12345. Currently, this hotline receives an average of over 500 calls per day, redirecting business inquiries to relevant government bodies for further assistance. With general issues resolved within seven days and complex ones within 15 days, the hotline has achieved a satisfaction rate of 96.9% among enterprises. Another example is the mini-program of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality. This versatile mobile application is widely used by citizens to access government services. We have launched a dedicated section for business-related services within this mini-program, providing convenient access to solutions for 158 frequently asked business issues. In addition, recognizing that enterprises used to face difficulties accessing numerous and complex government policies, we have adopted AI models that integrate all sorts of policies and offer precise recommendations to businesses, ensuring more policies are accessed and enjoyed by businesses without the need for application. As for tailored services, we will provide customized services tailored to the needs of each enterprise. We have introduced a package of service policies and a "steward-style service" mechanism, and adopted a list-based management for the needs of enterprises. Both municipal and district-level governments have also established special task forces to deliver tailored services to specific sectors and regions. These task forces regularly visit relevant enterprises and provide all sorts of assistance directly at their doorstep. Such service policy packages and the "steward-style service" mechanism have become key highlights of Beijing's business environment.

Third, we need to focus on both development and security. We have always placed equal emphasis on upholding standardized management and fostering enterprise growth. We also encourage fair competition and compliant development among businesses. We will continue to improve the effectiveness of government supervisory efforts, making them more precise and well-conceived through the utilization of credit- and big data-based supervisory methods. In addition, we will reinforce comprehensive supervisory approaches, significantly increasing remote supervision in daily regulation and reducing the frequency of site inspections. These measures aim to create a safe and high-quality operating environment for businesses.

Thank you.

Hong Kong Bauhinia Magazine:

The Central Financial Work Conference was held in Beijing in late October last year, making arrangements for current and future financial work and setting a target to accelerate the building of a strong financial sector. Being that finance is a very important and competitive industry in Beijing's economic structure, what considerations are being taken into account with promoting high-quality development of the financial industry and ensuring both development and security? Thank you.

Yin Yong:

Thank you for your question. Mr. Jin Wei will answer this question.

Jin Wei:

Thank you for your question. Beijing is the national financial management center, and its total financial assets have amounted to 215 trillion yuan, accounting for approximately half of the country's overall financial assets. The added value of its financial industry makes up one fifth of the city's added value of all industries, and local tax revenue from this sector also accounts for one fifth of the city's total. With a great sense of responsibility, we will strengthen our commitment to fulfilling our mission in financial work.

First, we will coordinate development and security and assume a greater role as the national financial management center. Beijing is the location of central financial management departments with many well-known domestic and foreign financial institutions gathered here. Our primary task is to provide good services. We actively support the construction of infrastructure facilities such as the National Fintech Risk Monitoring Center in order to create a favorable environment for the implementation of financial policies. The number of listed companies on the Beijing Stock Exchange has tripled since its opening, and we will continue to support its strong development. At the same time, we adhere to our responsibilities and duties, continuously improving the quality and efficiency of supervision, strengthening collaboration between the central and local governments, enhancing risk prevention mechanisms at the source, preventing and defusing risks in key areas in a prudent and orderly way, and promoting high-quality development of the financial industry while safeguarding the bottom line of risk control.

Second, we will observe the principle of serving the people and focus on five key areas. These five key areas are very familiar to journalists, so here I will briefly introduce our ideas. In terms of technological finance, we will focus on building the Zhongguancun Pilot Financial Reform Zone for Scientific and Technological Innovation, exploring new models to integrate support through equity, loans, bonds and insurance, establishing government investment funds, deepening the pilot comprehensive service for the registration and transfer of stock options, and maintaining double-digit growth in loans to high-tech enterprises. In terms of green finance, we will explore green financial standards that are in line with international standards and support the China Beijing Green Exchange in building a voluntary emissions trading institution. In terms of inclusive finance, we will carry out special actions, providing more products and more convenient services at lower costs to micro and small businesses. In terms of pension finance, we will guide financial institutions to improve the quality and efficiency of their services in the elderly care industry and accelerate the development of third-pillar pension plans and long-term care insurance, among others. In terms of digital finance, we will leverage Beijing's position as a global benchmark city for the digital economy, accelerate the digital transformation of finance, build 10 application scenarios of digital RMB and 10 demonstration zones for its use, and expand pilot programs for the regulation on fintech innovation. Additionally, we will guide financial institutions to implement the coordination mechanism for urban real estate financing, support the "three major projects" regarding new infrastructure, such as the construction of affordable housing, continue to explore the pilot program for catastrophic insurance, and increase support for post-disaster reconstruction.

Third, we will follow the principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability and take solid steps to promote institutional opening up. We will firmly seize the important opportunities during the construction of the "two zones" and carry out pilot programs such as the integrated capital pooling of domestic and foreign currencies for multinational companies. A number of landmark foreign-funded institutions have successively settled in Beijing.

This year, we will also explore and improve the negative list management for capital projects, continue to advance the QDLP and QFLP pilot schemes, host the Financial Street Forum and Sibos 2024, and promote the opening up of the financial industry to a higher level. Thank you.

Beijing Youth Daily:

Education is an indispensable part of high-quality development for the capital. With the overall decline in the national birthrate, many kindergartens in Beijing have redundant seats and some private kindergartens are experiencing operational difficulties. What considerations does the Beijing municipal government have for these situations and how will it promote the better development of preschool education?

Yu Yingjie:

Thank you for your questions. Preschool education is an important component of basic education and has always been a focus of our government's work. Over the years, Beijing has consistently monitored and analyzed changes in the birthrate and school-age population. As you mentioned, considering the decline in birthrate, empty preschool seats are gradually becoming abundant, especially in private kindergartens where there are more and more vacancies. We have conducted a comprehensive assessment and, based on analysis and study, will simultaneously promote the quality improvement of preschool education and its structural optimization in order to ensure its high-quality development.

First, we will comprehensively improve the quality of preschool education. We will further optimize the resource structure and ensure the availability of resources for public-interest preschool education, responsive to the trends of the eligible population for preschool enrollment. We will further promote the development of the Ministry of Education's experimental zones for improving the quality of preschool education, strengthen the construction of the teaching and research system at the three levels of city, district and kindergarten, and rely on preschool education and research bases to drive the overall improvement of regional preschool education quality. Additionally, we will improve the quality evaluation system and explore scientific evaluation methods.

Second, we will actively promote childcare services. We will conduct childcare work as a forward extension of each child's growth and education chains, implementing an integrated design. We support eligible kindergartens to participate in the pilot program of childcare services, establishing childcare classes for 2- to 3-year-olds while fully meeting the enrollment needs of 3- to 6-year-olds, aiming to provide abundant preschool places for children under three by converting preschool places for children above three. Just now, Mr. Yin said in his opening remarks that, building on the 6,000 new preschool places for children under three last year, 10,000 new places will be added this year to effectively address the needs of childcare services for toddlers.

Third, we will improve our work on private kindergartens. Through enrollment plan management, we will guide private kindergartens to set reasonable enrollment sizes following the supervision and evaluation requirements of the popularization of preschool education for the benefit of all. Simultaneously, we support eligible private kindergartens, especially public-interest ones, in establishing childcare classes. We also support the transformation and development of private kindergartens.

Next, Beijing will maintain the correct direction for preschool education development, enhance the preschool education system and mechanisms, and improve various policy guarantee systems for preschool education. We strive to promote the popularization as well as safe and quality development of preschool education for the benefit of all, meeting the public's expectations for nurturing young children. Thank you!

Chen Wenjun:

The press conference has been going on for nearly an hour, and we will now take the last two questions.

Beijing Radio & Television Station:

Mr. Yin, as Beijing residents, we often call the 12345 citizen service hotline when we encounter problems in our daily lives. We find its response and resolution processes to be effective and convenient, and we hope that the hotline can become even more effective and convenient in the future. How will Beijing deepen the reform of the mechanism of prompt handling of public complaints to better serve the people in the future? Thank you.

Yin Yong:

Thank you for your question. The mechanism of prompt handling of public complaints is a practice that originated from grassroots efforts in serving our citizens. It is an effective means for us to solve pressing difficulties and problems that concern the people most and carry out urban governance that is attentive to detail. It is also an important means for us to implement the philosophy of "the city is built by the people, and the city is for the people."

This reformative practice of serving the people with practical actions has gone through three stages: "departments responding to the call of the township government," "prompt handling of public complaints," and "resolving problems before receiving the public complaints." As early as 2017, a working mechanism of "departments responding to the call of the township government" was established in Jinhaihu, a town in Pinggu district, Beijing, to address the issue of illegal mining. In 2018, we completed a review of and promoted the experiences, implementing the mechanism of "all departments responding to the call of the sub-district and township governments" citywide to improve the efficiency of solving problems for the people. This marked the first stage. In 2019, we improved the mechanism, requiring all departments responding to the call of the sub-district and township governments to process public complaints without delay, and established a service mechanism centered on the 12345 citizen service hotline. This approach allowed for quick responses, efficient handling, and prompt feedback on public complaints and demands. This was the second stage. In 2021, in response to several high-frequency issues commonly reported by the public, we established a "solving one problem per month" working mechanism and proactively addressed major concerns before receiving the public complaints, which marked the third stage. The reformative practice of prompt handling of public complaints has yielded significant results. Last year, the 12345 hotline received an average of nearly 60,000 calls daily and processed 21.44 million complaints from citizens throughout the year, roughly equating to one complaint per resident. The public complaints were 100% responded, of which 95.5% were resolved, and the satisfaction rate reached 96.1%.

Going forward, we will strive to meet citizens' needs for a better life, assuring to handle public complaints promptly. As for the reform this year, we will focus on three key areas: First, we will continue to optimize hotline services and improve the whole working system for receiving complaints, assignments, handlings, and assessments. Particularly, we will improve the mechanism for assessment, effectively utilizing assessment as a tool to ensure more reasonable allocation of public service resources. We will strengthen language services for foreigners, gradually improving the service capabilities of the city as an international exchange center. We will further optimize hotline services for enterprises and dispel enterprises' concerns to make requests. We will enhance integrated hotline services in the Beijing-Hebei-Tianjin region to reduce the need for cross-regional travel. Second, we will conduct monthly campaigns. Based on big data analysis focused on citizens' complaints, we have specified 13 specialized governance tasks, including improving park management services and solving difficulties related to people's well-being. Third, we will leverage data resources, taking public complaints and requests as a means to precisely analyze public opinion, and transform their voices into a reference for decision-making, further improving the ability of joint and precise urban governance. 

Our effort to ensure prompt handling of public complaints is an ongoing process, and there's no end to it. We will do our best to serve our citizens. Thank you.

Economic Daily:

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. What will Beijing do to better leverage its wealth of innovation to benefit the entire region, promoting collaborative innovation and industrial cooperation across Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei? Thank you.

Yin Yong:

Thank you for your question. I will answer it. The coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is a major national strategy. In advancing the implementation of the strategy in recent years, we have continuously deepened our understanding and increasingly felt that the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is a region with the most complementary resource endowments in China. Why do we say that? As is widely known, Beijing boasts advantages in technology, talent and capital. Tianjin has favorable conditions in terms of key industrial layout, port trade and freight logistics. Hebei is highly competitive in natural resources and labor force and has great development potential. Therefore, the three regions are complementary in their advantages, and can realize coordinated development.

In the past 10 years, we have built and improved an integrated working mechanism in the three regions according to arrangements and decisions of the CPC Central Committee, and have accomplished various tasks and objectives in integrated regional development through lists and programs. We accelerated the formation of "one core and two wings," with the framework in Beijing's sub-center now fully operational. Before the Spring Festival this year, we completed the relocation of a second batch of municipal administrative agencies. So far, nearly 30,000 municipal agency staff members work at the sub-center. Xiong'an New Area is developing with sound momentum. Three colleges and one hospital there are already in operation with support from Beijing. The Zhongguancun Science and Technological Park in the Xiong'an New Area is also in operation. The development of regional integrated transportation has yielded fruitful results with travel among Beijing, Tianjin, and Xiong'an only taking half an hour. The commute time of major cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has been shortened to 1 to 1.5 hours. Joint prevention, control and governance of ecological environment has been  continuously deepened. The average density of fine particulate matters in the three regions was reduced by about 60% compared with 10 years ago in 2013. Collaborative innovation and industrial cooperation have been continuously deepened. In 2023, the value of Beijing's technological contracts with Tianjin and Hebei increased tenfold compared to 10 years ago.

Next, Beijing will work with Tianjin and Hebei to focus on technological innovation and industrial coordination, to accelerate developing new quality productive forces and to build a pioneering and demonstration zone for Chinese modernization. We plan to step up efforts in several aspects: First, we will continue to enhance interconnectivity of infrastructure. In a bid to ensure the smooth circulation of people, goods and other elements, we will improve the regional highway network, speed up the construction of inter-city railways and promoting interconnectivity of regional air, land and sea ports. Second, we will deepen coordination of innovation chains and industrial chains. Centering on industrial chains such as hydrogen power and bio-manufacturing, we will roll out tailored policies for each industry to further expand industrial chains and provide supporting facilities, as well as jointly build advanced manufacturing clusters. Third, we will work together to optimize local conditions for development. We will build integrated regional business environments and advance the release of an action plan for fostering first-class business within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. In terms of administrative services, we will set equal standards for similar items. For example, we will increase the number of enterprises' mutual recognition of qualifications and certifications to over 20. As for public services, joint construction and shared benefits will be enhanced so that high-quality education and medical resources in Beijing will serve more people in the region. Thank you. 

Chen Wenjun:

Thank you, Mr. Yin, other speakers and friends from the media. Today's briefing is hereby concluded. Goodbye.

Translated and edited by Wang Yiming, Xu Xiaoxuan, Zhang Rui, Zhou Jing, Yan Bin, Yuan Fang, Liu Caiyi, Liu Sitong, Qin Qi, Wang Yanfang, Zhou Jing, Zhu Bochen, Wang Ziteng, Wang Wei, Xiang Bin, Huang Shan, Liu Jianing, Li Huiru, Wang Qian, David Ball, Rochelle Beiersdorfer and Jay Birbeck. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.